Dear Prudence,
I fully realize that I’m the moody one in my relationship. My partner is always nice and pretty much never has grumpy days, whereas I can be short or snippy sometimes. It just depends on how I’m feeling that day. It’s never major (I’m not an oppressive villain), but I don’t want my partner to have to deal with it anymore, especially since I never have to. Think little things, like I’ll sigh loudly when he leaves his socks on the floor, or I’ll be sullen and quiet for an evening because I have a stressful meeting at work the next day. How can I cut this immature behavior out? I’ll realize that it’s happened after the fact and feel guilty, but in the moment, it just comes out.
—Hi, It’s Me, I’m the Problem