AITA for not wanting my boyfriend to work with me?
I (F27) own a small creative business where I teach classes and also design and make products for my own brand. My boyfriend (M29) is an engineer, but a few months ago he lost his job due to a massive round of layoffs, just as he was finally starting to build his career.
We've been together for seven years, since high school, and we've talked about moving in together. However, he has always wanted to skip renting and wait until we can buy a house, so we haven't moved in together yet. ( we both live with our parents)
Since losing his job, he's been helping me with my business. He's learned tasks that I never had enough time to develop myself, and I genuinely appreciate his initiative. He's even bought tools with his own money that help with the work he does.
For context, I work over nine hours a day Monday through Friday, four hours on Saturdays, and I take Sundays off. Even with those hours, there are still parts of the business I don't have time to handle. I pay all the business expenses myself, and while the business is profitable, it simply isn't large enough yet to comfortably support two adults and the future we both want.
He's been applying for engineering jobs, but so far he hasn't gotten any interviews. While I like having him work with me, whenever I suggest he help with other tasks so I can focus on work that only I can do because of my experience, he gets upset. From my perspective, I'm only trying to make the business run more efficiently.
Today my dad suggested that, while he keeps looking for an engineering job, he could also teach math, physics, or chemistry to earn some extra money. Later, my boyfriend asked me what I thought.
I told him I didn't think it was a bad idea. I explained that while my business makes money, it isn't enough to comfortably support both of us, allow us to move in together, and eventually buy a house. Having a second source of income seemed like a smart idea while he continues job hunting. I also told him I'd love for him to keep helping me because I truly value what he contributes, but I don't think it's realistic for us to rely solely on my business right now.
He got offended and said I didn't value his help and was making it seem like he was wasting his time working with me. I told him that wasn't true at all. I really do appreciate everything he does, and I enjoy working together. I just don't think relying solely on my business is a realistic financial plan if we want to reach our goals.
So, AITA?