Healthy relationships revolve around mutual respect. Being proud of your partner for being good at something is fun and helps those involved grow stronger together. A juicy story on the ‘AITA?’ subReddit about a couple at a rock-climbing gym sparked some debate among the platform.
The boyfriend, being a skilled climber, and the girlfriend (u/[deleted]), still in the learning stages, got to witness a newcomer to their gym be a total mountain goat. When this stranger happened to beat the boyfriend at his own game, he took it upon himself to talk smack.
However, the egotistical boyfriend couldn’t take a dose of his own medicine after his girlfriend high-fived his competition right in front of his face. Obviously, this was a valid action since the girl she congratulated had just accomplished something that was pretty cool. When the rock-climbing couple was headed home, OP’s (original poster) boyfriend had a mouthful to share regarding the interaction.
Read her side of the story below and let us know if you think she was out of line, or if her boyfriend simply needs an ego adjustment.
After receiving the silent treatment for high-fiving her BF’s competition, OP asked: “AITA for high-fiving a stranger who “humiliated” my bf?”
My bf and I go to the climbing gym regularly. He is really into it and I just started and climbing a few times a week. He’s stupidly competitive about it and quietly insults beginners who are not as good which makes me feel self conscious because I’m a beginner.
OP herself was also new to the sport, so her boyfriend talking down on beginners didn’t help any with her confidence.
Last night we were at the climbing gym again and he was doing a “V6”. There was about 6 people taking turns on the problem, probably because it’s a newly installed route and they were all failing. Then a girl came and flashed it. She made it so easy but at the end she didn’t hold the final hold for 5 seconds and my bf called her out after she was done.
Holding the last hold for 5 seconds is suppose to be the “right way” of finishing a route but she was doing it so easily she definitely could have. I think he was just being salty because she did it when he couldn’t. She laughed and told him he didn’t even start the problem correctly and walked off. I gave her a high five because she was walking towards me and did amazing at the problem (and knocked my bf off his high horse) and she was surprised but high-fived me.
After high-fiving his competition, OP’s boyfriend acted as if she had just poured water in his climbing chalk.
My bf turned to me and gave me a “wtf” look and wouldn’t talk to me the rest of the night. When we were heading home he ranted that I couldn’t be trusted to watch his back if I chose to take a stranger’s side over him. I was shocked that’s what he took from the climb and told him he shouldn’t have nitpicked her when she clearly climbed it correctly and he got mad and argued I was suppose to take his side over people I don’t even know.
Now OP is wondering if she was in the wrong for doing what she did.
It’s obvious that the OP’s boyfriend was salty about not being able to complete the climb like a stranger could. Based on the context of the story, it’s unclear if she was a beginner at all. In fact, it seems that maybe just because she was a woman doing better than he was, there was enough clause to set him off on his cry-baby rant.
Clearly, OP did the right thing. Her boyfriend definitely needed a reality check in this scenario. So when OP asked “Am I the A-hole?” the answer is no, honey, you’re not. The real question is, when is our OP going to realize her boyfriend is past the point of being competitive and is just being a flat-out jerk?
Redditors who saw the post were quick to tear her BF and his insecure behavior apart:
