My boyfriend and I were together for four years before splitting up and the end of last summer. We’ve been back together since February or so, and it has been amazing. A significantly healthier, happier relationship.
Except for one thing, he sucks at communicating. He has always hated texting, which is something I am learning to deal with. I don’t need to be communicated with 24/7, and we have never been one of those couples who text throughout the day.
Over the last week and a half, he has been distant and has failed to communicate a few times. When I’ve brought this up to him in passing, he has mentioned he does not want to become codependent on each other and has just needed his space.
I respect his need for space and independence, and agree, we were extremely dependent on each other for our happiness previously. But how do I structure a conversation from a place of healing and growth to tell him that I need a little more advance notice for plans, or appreciate check in texts? Not hearing from him makes me worry, even though there is no reason to. I don’t believe that communication is synonymous with codependency.
TLDR: How do I ask my boyfriend for more communication while maintaining independence and ensuring we don’t slip back into codependent habits?