Communication is the backbone of any relationship, but not every attempt lands the right way.

One young man tried to explain why he thought his girlfriend was a little needy, yet the words he chose made him sound careless and unsympathetic.

Read on for the full story.

AITA for telling my girlfriend she can be needy?

My girlfriend (W22) and I (M22) were chatting with friends on Discord.

During a conversation about my hair and how I should experiment more, she said, “I don’t ask for much, but…”

Here’s where he really put his foot in his mouth.

I replied that she can be a bit needy sometimes.

She was upset about that, and my explanations as to why I think that — such as the fact that she often asks for compliments or struggles more when we don’t see each other for a week — made the situation worse rather than better.

AITA?

Perhaps this conversation could have been handled a bit more delicately on the boyfriend’s part, eh?

Redditors chime in with their thoughts.

This commenter’s reason for declaring him in the wrong is threefold.

This guy really should have thought before speaking.

His reaction really didn’t seem very proportionate to what his girlfriend was saying.

The fact that he did it in front of other people makes it even worse.

Intentions don’t always erase the impact.

If you liked that post, check out this story about a guy who was forced to sleep on the couch at his wife’s family’s house, so he went to a hotel instead.