When you're in the early days of what seems like it could be a blissful relationship, it's easy to turn a blind eye to the warning signs that your new guy might be a jerk. So here are some subtle signs that perhaps those little red flags that you might be ignoring really mean your man is a jerk. Start with his behavior in public, particularly with customer service employees, such as servers. If he speaks rudely to them or leaves bad tips for no reason, then he lacks respect for others - that lack of respect could weave its way into your relationship. An even bigger red flag is if he speaks badly of his family, particularly his mom, for seemingly no reason. It's one thing if he was abused, but if his family seems normal, then he's probably just nitpicking - and that's not OK when it comes to family members. If you meet the family and the behavior continues, then you know he's got a problem.
Speaking of family members, talk to your mom and/or sister about the guy once they've gotten to know him. If they speak ill of him, then you know he's probably done something jerky to turn them off. Don't make excuses for his behavior. If your find yourself excusing bad behavior or trying to explain it to your friends and family to shed a positive light on him, then stop. There's no reason to make excuses for bad behavior. Finally, if a guy pressures you to do or say things that make you uncomfortable or feel dishonest, then he might be a jerk. Whether it's pressure to have sex or do his "dirty" work - in other words, tasks he feels are beneath him - just say no. Ditch the jerk before you're too emotionally invested in the relationship.
