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Am I pressuring him?

User Profile: neonFig4402
neonFig4402 February 2nd, 2021

I’ve been in a long-distance relationship for three years. We meet each other regularly and he’s my best friend. It started when I was 25 and it became purposeful after one year when we decided where we wanted the relationship to go. 3 years later and we’re at a point where things are becoming real! I’ve met his family and he’s met some of mine. I’ve met all of his friends and he’s met mine. We speak about future plans all the time (especially recently) but I often feel as though I’m more into taking practical steps than he is. On my recent trip, he raised the topic about next steps. We said that we’d work towards being married next year, further our education and to be in a better place by then, financially. We set personal goals for ourselves so that we could join up in a years time. I will end up relocating which was a plan before I met him. It all sounded promising... Now that I’ve travelled back, he’s starting ask loads of questions about marriage. About whether he knows he’s ready. To me, it seems to be a sign that maybe he’s not? Or does he just want to learn more? A part of me feels as though he’s only thinking of the idea of marriage because he knows that’s what I want. He’s expressed that he would ideally like to be married at 30 (in another two years) when he’s financially ready etc. but as a woman who wants to settle and have a family young, I don’t think I can wait that long for him to figure it all out. As a result of this, he kind of feels pressured to step his game up earlier than he expected. I’ve also exercised patience and been encouraging him to study and find great job opportunities. Most of our frustrations have been around this topic. I almost feel like if a man was ready, he would know, make a way and go ahead with it. I also understand where he’s coming from but as a woman, I have to also think practically. I love him so much but I often think we should end things just to take the pressure off of him. It doesn’t feel like we’re on the same page... What should I do?

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User Profile: MidwesternCalmSeeker
MidwesternCalmSeeker February 6th, 2021

@neonFig4402

I think we all wish it was so easy to know what to do, or to ask someone else to let us know what should be done, right? This is a decision that you and your partner need to make together, and it sounds like everything you are expressing are things he may need to hear. These decisions can be hard, especially when things do feel uncertain, so talking about feelings can be just as important as talking about plans. Hang in there, and consider having a heart-to-heart with your guy, letting him know that no matter what he feels it is okay. Loving someone enough to let them go is a very mature response. I wish you all the best things as you seek long-term happiness.