Dating in your 30's- how long to give a relationship a chance?
Hi! I'm 31f and questioning things with my 33m boyfriend. I spent so much of my 20's in a relationship that I wanted to work out, and waited on him to work on issues with me for 5 years. I'm afraid I'm in a similar situation with my current boyfriend, but something about being in my 30's feels different. I don't feel like I have the same amount of time to wait around, but also want to give him enough of a chance to make changes since I have communicated my concerns openly. I don't want to be the person who "gives up when things get hard", as I know all relationships will face rough patches.
So I'm curious to hear from all of you about your experiences and how to make this call.
I'm interested in hearing about a variety of situations, but a few context issues about mine:
- We almost moved in together, but I couldn't go through with it because of his issues with hoarding and significant lack of cleanliness. (I'm talking health hazard). He is working on this, but I'm still uncomfortable in his space.
- No one in my life thinks this is the right relationship for me. My parents and my closest friends have all expressed concern (re: cleanliness, finances, how I feel in the relationship)
- I have made it clear from the beginning that I want to get married (in general), but after a year and a half together, he does not talk about a future together (even potential future) unless I bring it up. I have told him this concerns me.
- Financial concerns - he's in a significant amount of debt. I would never want to judge anyone for this, and he is doing what he can to pay it off and budget. I'm in a different financial situation, and feel somewhat limited in terms of not being able to go out together or travel the way I'd like. This will take years to resolve on his end. In the meantime, he is allowing one of his exes to be an authorized user on his credit card (with a spending limit and they pay him back) to help their credit. I. know it's generous and kind of him to do, but feels like a red flag to me.
- I know he loves me, but there is no romance. He struggles to talk about feelings, and I often feel like we're good friends (not the worst, but something is missing)
Also for context- I don't want kids so that doesn't factor into the time aspect. I just want to be with the person I want to build a life with and move toward marriage! Thanks everyone!