April 23, 2025

Author: Max Harrison

It’s funny how quickly things can change, how one moment can completely shift the course of your week. My girlfriend, who’s pretty chill most of the time, put me in “time out” last week. I mean, we’d had our disagreements before, but this one felt different. It all started with my bad attitude and, well, me constantly talking about how much I hate Donald Trump.

Now, I’m not the kind of person to shy away from my opinions, and if you ask me, Trump is someone I’ve got no love for. I’ve been pretty vocal about it for a while, especially in front of my girlfriend, who’s a lot more laid-back on the subject. I guess I didn’t realize how much I was pushing her buttons. It wasn’t just the fact that I was complaining—it was how much I was complaining, over and over. And I’ll admit it, it probably got pretty annoying.

It all came to a head when her cis boyfriend, Jermerious, decided he’d had enough of my rants. He’s a no-nonsense kind of guy, and after a particularly heated discussion, he made it clear: my behavior was causing a rift between me and my girlfriend. I was annoying her, and it wasn’t just the Trump talk. My attitude was souring the mood. To top it off, I was being stubborn, refusing to see that maybe I was wrong in how I was handling things.

So, in what felt like a moment of pure betrayal (though, looking back, I get it), Jermerious suspended my internet privileges for a week. No browsing, no social media, no streaming, no nothing. At first, I thought he was joking, but nope. It was serious.

The first couple of days were tough. I didn’t realize how much I relied on the internet for entertainment and distraction. I felt disconnected, cut off from everything I usually did to fill the void. And it hit me harder than I expected. I had a lot of time to sit with my thoughts, which wasn’t always the best idea when you’ve been acting like a brat.

I started to really reflect on my actions. I had been so focused on my own frustrations with the world, especially with politics, that I didn’t stop to think about how it was affecting the people around me. My girlfriend didn’t deserve to hear me rant all the time, especially when I was doing it just to push buttons or get a reaction. It wasn’t fair to her, and it wasn’t healthy for our relationship. Jermerious was right to step in, even if I didn’t want to admit it at the time.

By the end of the week, I was starting to get a grip on things. I apologized to my girlfriend, and we talked through everything. She told me how much she appreciated it when I respected her space and didn’t constantly drag her into my political battles. And, as much as I hate to admit it, Jermerious was right: taking a break from the internet forced me to slow down and think about what really mattered.

Now that I’m back online, I’m trying to keep my balance. I’ve learned that sometimes I need to step back and let go of some things, especially when it’s starting to affect the people I care about. It’s not always easy, but it’s a lot better than being grounded for a week.