After casting off extremely negative feminist views on men, I'm afraid I have taken the RPW concept of submission too far.

A lot of women deal with dialing back bossy or naggy behavior. I am dealing with the other extreme, being very passive/timid and hesitant to put myself out there. I've developed this view of a good girlfriend that may not be helpful to my relationship with my boyfriend. That is, a girl who never speaks up and kind of tags along in her man's life, a wishy washy "yes woman."

Thankfully, my boyfriend is a good man and is trying to lead me to realize myself as a fully capable first mate and is vetting me for marriage. During times I hesitate to speak up or take action if I notice something is going wrong, it causes conflict, such as letting him drive past exits or burn food he's cooking in the oven.

When something is obviously troubling him or he's stressed because life is frustrating for a lot of us during these trying times, I don't know what to say or do. I keep my distance and my mouth shut. I'm terrified of being perceived as a nag or too aggressive, but it often backfires because I often drop the ball to support him when it matters to him.

My boyfriend is starting to feel like he's pulling both our weights in the relationship and has specifically told me that he needs a good nurturer and helper in a woman, but I have no idea what that tangibly looks like. What specific actions do women who have developed these traits take to hold up the feminine end of the relationship? It is my struggle in these areas that is harming my relationship.