"You Think You're Better Than Me"

My disaster of an ex-boyfriend drilled into my head that I was constantly holding him to standards that were too high. I was expecting too much of him. I was the problem.

Now, to be fair, I was the one who thought my 21-year-old boyfriend should have a job...or a license...or be going to school and not just jerking off in the bedroom he had to share with his brother because--big surprise--he lived at home.

So, yeah, my standards were the problem.

I've inferred that my girlfriend's mom thinks that I think I'm better than they are. That their house wasn't good enough for me, back when my girlfriend was still living there. That their general lifestyle is beneath me somehow.

I've always let off an air of condescension, I think. I definitely don't mean to do it, and most of the time I don't feel above anyone or like my standards matter at all in the grand scheme of things.

But you know what? Sometimes I do.

When did having high standards become a bad thing?

I like having nice things (and by nice things, I mean basic living necessities that make me happy--good smelling shampoo, the toothpaste I prefer, some new underwear every once in a while). I enjoy feeling calm and respected and at peace. I work for the things I get--I work harder than I should for what little I get, but that's for next time--and if that's the way I live my life, why does it affect you?

Does the way I live make you feel like you're not meeting my standards? Or do you feel like you're not meeting yours? Because that's a you problem and I'm sick of having it projected onto me by people who are supposed to not do that.