My (32F) boyfriend (38M) recently told me that he’s afraid of marriage, and doesn’t want to get married.
We’ve been together for 5 years in a long-distance relationship. He often talks about wanting a future with me, having children, and he really cares about my daughter (I’m a single mom, 32F).
After a long time of thinking, I finally came to accept it, and I feel like maybe not getting married doesn’t have to be a dealbreaker for me.
But still… I feel sad. It’s not what I expected. Whenever I see people getting married or proposing, I can’t help but cry.
Some people have told me that I should leave him, but to me this relationship matters so much. I can’t just walk away that easily.
I’m planning to pursue my PhD in the US, and I just got a promotion from my professor. My boyfriend is American, so it actually works out well for us. But even then, it seems we will never get married.
If I leave him, I’m scared I’ll regret it because we’ve been through so much together, and also because my daughter is very close to him.
TL;DR: My boyfriend of 5 years (38M) afraid of marriage. I (32F, single mom) accepted it after thinking for a long time, but I still feel sad whenever I see others getting married. I’m torn because I love him and my daughter is very close to him, but I also grieve the idea of never having a marriage.