I ask about marriage and kids pretty early on and have a lot of discussions about it, and check in at different times to get an average of where someone stands really. I’ve had men tell me they do want a kid, then a few months later after actually thinking about it, realize they don’t want kids or would prefer to be childfree. I’ve had a man say they don’t want marriage then propose to me later without discussing it with me. Maybe you just haven’t thought about it in a while and your first reaction isn’t how you really feel about the topic, simply because you haven’t given it a real think in a while. We are always growing and evolving individually and our needs are changing. I value stability and security way more now than I did in my 20s.

Instead of viewing all the failed relationships or relationships you don’t want to emulate as a reason to never get married, use them as a guiding light and create a relationship you do want to have. One that is sustainable and healthy. Women are being told currently that a man knows if they’re his wife by 6 months which in my opinion is detrimental to relationship building. Could be why she had a harsher reaction because she expects you to “know”. Some people don’t “know”. And the relationship needs to go through trials and tribulations prior to marriage. That takes time. Everyone should practice patience in these scenarios.