A post in Reddit describing how a young man, 23, kicked his girlfriend out of his apartment for throwing away his teddy bear—a gift from his late grandmother—has received over 13,000 likes.
"This is the only item that I have from her," he said, describing how "Teddy" sat on a cabinet near his bed.
"It's symbolic for me as it makes me feel like my gran is always looking out for me," the man wrote. "My girlfriend has always teased me about Teddy but I never minded. I understand how it's not usual for a grown adult to keep stuffed animals in their room."
On returning to the apartment one day, he found that Teddy wasn't in the usual place, as it transpired that his girlfriend had thrown him away, "because I am too old to own toys."
"She also found it weird that he was just always there looking at us while we slept. I admit that I probably overreacted but I told her to leave and not come back unless she had Teddy with her. She went to her mom's and has not come back so Teddy is gone for good."
Psychology Today suggests that being unsupportive is a big reason why some relationships don't work out.
"If you cannot support the one you love when he or she is down, or stressed because of some life event, you are communicating that it's not worth your time and energy," it said.
"This makes your loved one feel invalid. If you can't be there for your other half, and don't care to change, it's time to leave. If you want to keep your relationship, learn to be supportive."
In later posts the original poster explains: "It feels as if I have lost my grandmother all over again, I am so heartbroken… She knows very well about Teddy's history. She made sure I knew that she thought I was being childish."
Users were quick to express their support and advice. One wrote, "Yo go look at the closest trash can! It was probably thrown somewhere close to the house," to which the original poster replied, "I looked but it wasn't there."
Another user commented: "Have her go dumpster diving for Teddy. This is her fault. If she wants to make it right she better get acquainted with some dumpster juice."
A different user agreed: "Good lord, what a monster. OP is not overreacting. If she'll do this with a stuffed animal, imagine what else she will do to aspects of your life she disagrees with. It's about control."
Newsweek reached out to u/5578096225684t for comment. We could not verify the details of the case.
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