Is it explicit? Is it agreed upon? Do you talk about its progress?
Wanting to be accepted and loved is great, but most relationships wind up becoming a partnership for certain things, both empowering and disempowering.
All relationships wind up being a partnership for working out our stuff in life, the problem with that is that it’s usually not agreed upon specifically.
Getting clear on this can make a huge difference, including giving us a chance to work on our stuff OUTSIDE the relationship, FOR the relationship.
Then you can partner for the lives you truly want.