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Topic : Ready for Marriage?

Number of Replies: 1011
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Created on : Friday, July 01, 2005, 05:09:04 pm
Author : dataimport
Contemplating taking the plunge? Talk with others who are ready to make things permanent.

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January 4, 2008, 6:27 pm PST

i don't know what to do

I've been dating a guy for a very long time, and he's 31, I'm 22. We have always had a great relationship, though a couple of serious fights, but we've always worked through it together. We're both involved with each others' families, and spend our holidays together with each of our families, even though they're in seperate towns. We've seriously discussed marriage in the next few months, and kids, etc.

A few weeks ago, I found an online profile on a dating website he had.

 

I made a fake profile, and intrigued his interest so he messaged me. We wrote back and forth, and he asked me if I'd meet at starbucks, and kept telling me how cute I was (I used a friend from college's picture he didn't know) and that he was single, how great he was, etc.

 

I confronted him on it; initially he lied until I had to read the messages to him. He said he'd learned his lesson and was just scared and would do whatever it took to prove it to me. I agreed to go back to him. Then, on Christmas eve, right after he'd given me all these huge sweet surprises, I went to his room and on his computer to play some music. there was a convo with agirl from before I'd come over about him wnating her to accept a webcam invite, see some skin, etc...lotsa flirting. I started crying. He apologized again, ...and he'd deleted friends, phone #'s, his profiles, everything in front of me. ...

 

Then today, I got curious...and figured out his password to an email he forgot I knew about..and found out he'd created another private profile on the same dating site!!! I logged into his acct on there and there were hundreds of messages from girls and from him he'd written over the last 5 days. I toldhim I never wanted to speak to him again. He broke his phone he is so upset, and wants to go to counseling together to work it out cuz he says he loves me so much.

 

Right now, I definitely don't believe him and don't know how I feel about seeing or dating him again. But I do love him. So I don't know what to do. I wanted to spend my life with this man and I feel so betrayed. And I might not be so worried about it cuz its online only..but we met online, and he met his last 2 girlfriends at least online, and they both were out of state or city. We had plans to get married in the next 6 months. I don't know what to do.

 
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January 5, 2008, 4:18 pm PST

mutual respect

Quote From: onetruedream

I've been dating a guy for a very long time, and he's 31, I'm 22. We have always had a great relationship, though a couple of serious fights, but we've always worked through it together. We're both involved with each others' families, and spend our holidays together with each of our families, even though they're in seperate towns. We've seriously discussed marriage in the next few months, and kids, etc.

A few weeks ago, I found an online profile on a dating website he had.

 

I made a fake profile, and intrigued his interest so he messaged me. We wrote back and forth, and he asked me if I'd meet at starbucks, and kept telling me how cute I was (I used a friend from college's picture he didn't know) and that he was single, how great he was, etc.

 

I confronted him on it; initially he lied until I had to read the messages to him. He said he'd learned his lesson and was just scared and would do whatever it took to prove it to me. I agreed to go back to him. Then, on Christmas eve, right after he'd given me all these huge sweet surprises, I went to his room and on his computer to play some music. there was a convo with agirl from before I'd come over about him wnating her to accept a webcam invite, see some skin, etc...lotsa flirting. I started crying. He apologized again, ...and he'd deleted friends, phone #'s, his profiles, everything in front of me. ...

 

Then today, I got curious...and figured out his password to an email he forgot I knew about..and found out he'd created another private profile on the same dating site!!! I logged into his acct on there and there were hundreds of messages from girls and from him he'd written over the last 5 days. I toldhim I never wanted to speak to him again. He broke his phone he is so upset, and wants to go to counseling together to work it out cuz he says he loves me so much.

 

Right now, I definitely don't believe him and don't know how I feel about seeing or dating him again. But I do love him. So I don't know what to do. I wanted to spend my life with this man and I feel so betrayed. And I might not be so worried about it cuz its online only..but we met online, and he met his last 2 girlfriends at least online, and they both were out of state or city. We had plans to get married in the next 6 months. I don't know what to do.

If you take him back, insist on the counseling that he suggested. That is where you will find out if he really means it or not. He could just be saying anything to get you back; then once you are back, boom, he’ll be back online finding women to flirt with. Professional counseling will help both of you; he can learn how to have more control over his decisions about what he does with his free time on the computer, and you can learn how to communicate effectively. If you get married now, it is likely that you will regret that decision. You shouldn’t get married with the hope that he will change; he has to want to change and he has to actually do the work to change his negative behaviors before the two of you even think of setting a date. I wish you well. Respect yourself!
 
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January 7, 2008, 9:38 am PST

Should I call the whole thing off???

I have been with my boyfriend for 2 years.  We have had many ups and downs.  I love him with all my heart and have given up so much to be with him. He is in the Air Force and was stationed in Germany for a while, while he was in germany he was deployed for four months.  Since we were just dating, everytime he would get deployed or have to go traveling for the air force i would just fly back home and be with my family.  Its been hard doing the long distance thing but we have managed to make it through.  We now live in Ohio and are currently in the middle of planning our wedding that is to take place in July.  everything was going great until we found out that getting my son this summer was going to be a pain in the butt.  I have a son from a prvious marriage, whom my ex and I share custody.  Anyway after I found out it was like a switch flipped in my fiancee head.  Now he isnt sure if we should get married or not.  He tells me that after everything he has done in the past he doesnt think I will ever trust him again. But I have told him over and over that its in the past, I just want to start a future.  Now because of all this I too am having doubts, and it makes me sad because if we dont get married I dont want to wait any longer for him to grow up.  Im so confused, how did everything go so wrong in just one day?  Please help me.

 
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January 7, 2008, 10:32 am PST

Your not alone

Quote From: zimmerem

I need to hear someone else's perspective about my current situation.  My boyfriend and I have been dating 2 years, living together 1 year, and have been engaged for 2 weeks.  I accepted his marriage proposal and we're planning a wedding in 2008.

 

My problem is, I always purposely try to find things wrong with our relationship.  Almost like,  I feel like everything has gone wrong with past relationships, so when is it going tto happen this time?

 

My fiance is not a very open person.  I typically find out things about him when he accidently leaves his email inbox open, and I give into temptation and snoop through his inbox.

 

Within the last 8 months, I have discovered that he's been having online relationships with two other girls.  While I am mentioned in his correspondence to them, he never tells me that he's having these online relationships.  I am confident that he has been faithful in our relationship, but don't really understand why he feels the need to talk to other girls in secret in the first place.

 

Is this just another case of me trying to find something to go wrong?  Or do you believe his actions are wrong?  Should I confront him about this again - like I did the first time or let it go?  Confronting him would mean that I would need to admit to peeking through his inbox.

 

Maybe he's just having doubts?  Although my doubts are mainly because of the emails I find in his inbox.

 

Im really confused.

My boyfriend of two years has also had online relationships with women.  It doesnt matter that you have snooped through his email.  The fact is that you two are in a relationship together and there should be complete honety.  When I comfronted my boyfriend on it his first reaction was to lie.  He finally came clean about it, and it turned out he was meeting thm too.  Dont let it go on comfront himas soon as possible
 

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January 7, 2008, 8:34 pm PST

Ready for Marriage?

Quote From: tatobos

I have been with my boyfriend for 2 years.  We have had many ups and downs.  I love him with all my heart and have given up so much to be with him. He is in the Air Force and was stationed in Germany for a while, while he was in germany he was deployed for four months.  Since we were just dating, everytime he would get deployed or have to go traveling for the air force i would just fly back home and be with my family.  Its been hard doing the long distance thing but we have managed to make it through.  We now live in Ohio and are currently in the middle of planning our wedding that is to take place in July.  everything was going great until we found out that getting my son this summer was going to be a pain in the butt.  I have a son from a prvious marriage, whom my ex and I share custody.  Anyway after I found out it was like a switch flipped in my fiancee head.  Now he isnt sure if we should get married or not.  He tells me that after everything he has done in the past he doesnt think I will ever trust him again. But I have told him over and over that its in the past, I just want to start a future.  Now because of all this I too am having doubts, and it makes me sad because if we dont get married I dont want to wait any longer for him to grow up.  Im so confused, how did everything go so wrong in just one day?  Please help me.

      
"Anyway after I found out it was like a switch flipped in my fiancee head.  Now he isnt sure if we should get married or not."

If he's not sure, then you can respect that, and yourself by thinking it over. Honestly, I dont think it would be a big deal...having your son come over for the summer....but it sounds like he's not interested in that, even though it is a part of your life. It's made him re think getting married. You are probably rethinking getting married because of his use of pornography and the fact that he has caught up with other women in the past two years. But you are ready to commit to someone, and you deserve that. Obviously at the moment it looks as if you cant get that from him. I started writing a message before (but it was too long) where I wanted to ask the question if these people cant help but be players. And now that you know about what he has done it isnt as fun anymore?. I dont think your confused....you want to get married, and you don't want to wait for him to grow up. Therefore you shouldn't wait around for him.The problem lies in the type of guy we are dealing with. I'm more the type that when it comes to marriage and commitment, I would prefer to sacrafice an opportunity to be with someone that I come across (the most tempting possibility) and do that for them because I love them and have made a commitment. And so I'd want someone who would do the same. This is when you have found someone you want to marry and have children with. Until then I think you may as well be single. Especially with these guys. I think the sexes are different enough, and I'm thinking that it is even too much to ask from a normal guy to sacrafice an opportunity for the person they are married too. And these guys arent as bad as the guys we are currently dealing with.
   

 
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January 10, 2008, 9:04 am PST

Still Waiting.....

So, over a year ago I posted on here.....about the same thing...and here I am ......still waiting.

My boyfriend and I will be together 7 years at the end of January.  We own a home together and we discuss marriage all the time.  He says he wants to marry me, but still no ring.

He gets a litle irratated when I mention it and says that he doesn't want to be bugged and that it is something he wants to do on his time. 

Well.......I can't take it anymore.  I am at my witts end and I don't want to wait.  I am 26 years old and he is 33.  Neither of us is getting any younger and I can't help but feel that life is passing me by as I sit here and wait. 

I just need someone to tell me what to do...stupid... I know.  I just don't want to regret giving up!!!

 
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January 10, 2008, 9:13 am PST

Think about it like this...

Quote From: bella81

So, over a year ago I posted on here.....about the same thing...and here I am ......still waiting.

My boyfriend and I will be together 7 years at the end of January.  We own a home together and we discuss marriage all the time.  He says he wants to marry me, but still no ring.

He gets a litle irratated when I mention it and says that he doesn't want to be bugged and that it is something he wants to do on his time. 

Well.......I can't take it anymore.  I am at my witts end and I don't want to wait.  I am 26 years old and he is 33.  Neither of us is getting any younger and I can't help but feel that life is passing me by as I sit here and wait. 

I just need someone to tell me what to do...stupid... I know.  I just don't want to regret giving up!!!

You’ve got to think about it from his angle. Here you are, waiting around for him to decide he is ready to get married. And there he is, waiting around for. . . What is it exactly that he is waiting for? What exact reasons does he give you for not setting a date? If the reasons are more like excuses, if they aren’t reasonable or valid, then it is almost like him saying he does not want to set a date. He might be sub- or un-consciously waiting for you to get tired of him putting off the wedding so that you will break up with him or you will give him an ultimatum; either set a date or you have to move on. Until then, he is just cruising through, using “why buy the cow when you get the milk for free” type of thinking. But that type of thinking is disrespectful of you and your wishes. You do not deserve to waste years of your life, just waiting for this man to set a date, when there is no guarantee that he actually will do that. I urge you to think about your options and then make a decision. You have two options, either continue on like this, waiting; which could last another 10 or 20 years until you just give up, or, let him know you aren’t waiting any longer. This won’t have to be an argument; you just approach him, tell him you understand if he doesn’t want to get married, that you just want to know; and if he can’t tell you, then you have to do what is right for both of you. You are putting your life on hold with no guarantees; it isn’t fair. I wish you the best!
 
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January 21, 2008, 10:16 am PST

Get out

Quote From: divergrl75

I have dated this guy for 5.5 years. I am 30 and he is 33. He finally poped the question and we got engaged.  Sometimes I feel like we are really just roomates.  Here's some reasons why. One time I was out with some friends and they left and I got stranded downtown. It happens in large crowds.  So, I called up my boyfriend to pick me up and he didn't pick up the phone so I had no phone book with me and only twenty dollars.  It wasn't enough to get home via cab.  I hitchiked home and when I got home the phone was unplugged. I plugged the phone back in and there were my messages.  I got really upset because he had the energy to get out of bed and disconnect the line but not to answer the phone or pick me up.  I need to know if I'm making a mistake by calling it off and moving forward alone.  I'm going through some tough times at work and only working small hours and not making a lot of money.  we had a deal where I paid for the bills and groceries and he paid for the rent.  With the small amount of money I get, I focuss on paying the bills and THEN I go grocery shopping with what I have left. As I mentioned, I haven't been working as much so I haven't made a whole lot.  I paid off our bills but this time I couldn't afford to buy groceries.  When he found out I couldn't afford to buy groceries, he got mad and said that he would buy them AGAIN and that I am not to eat his food.  I thought we were suppose to be a team.  Several times I do remember buying with little that I have I would still buy him what he wanted.  Another thing that bothers me is that after 5.5 years he still can't say he loves me.  Guys just say that he has a hard time expressing himself.  I need to know the truth. I mean come on.  FIVE years and he still can't say it?  I quit eating his food and started to sleep on the couch. I figure that if he wants to treat me like a roomate, I will act like a roomate and completely cut him off from sex and sleep on the couch. I have been feeling so empty and it's making me wonder why I am with him.  I found out that when he was younger his mother didn't want anything to do with him and that it was only till he ws a teenager that she just got involved in his life.  His father is a lot like him.  Another thing I don't like is that he doesn't understand why I get upset about him looking at internet porn/girls.  At first it really didn't bother me then the more I thought about it, It did bother me.  He can look at other woman and can't say he loves me or even show me he loves me. That is why I feel so crappy.  I'm not getting or feeling any love from him.  It all comes down to this ring he bought me.........I think it was a "shut up" ring.  He doesn't like to talk about setting a date (It's been 3 months) he told his friend when he asked when were getting married 2 years from now.  I gave back the ring and now I'm thinking I made a mistake. I'm feeling really confused because I love him. I have already spoke to him about how I feel and he sais that he wouldn't be with me if he didn't care or love me.  How can I get him to say he loves me and to start being a fiance instead of a roomate.   Or, am I really wasting my time with this one.  He woke up this morning and just left to work without saying goodbye.  He's making out like nothing is wrong or like he doesn't care.  Any Ideas?
You need to get out of this relationship ASAP.  I was in a relationship similar to this a few years ago. We never lived together or had to share bills, but I would stay with him on the weekends when I wasn't in school. The relationship totally drained me emotionally. It took me over a year to recover from the damage that the relationship caused. Since then I found the most amazing man ever, and he treats me in every way I wished my ex could have. He doesn't deserve you, if he can't even say I love you then he doesn't care about you.  There is better men out there that can treat you a whole lot better then he can.  Yes he may have been treated badly when he was a child but anything you will do will never change that.  I know its hard financially and emotionally but you need to get rid of this guy he doesn't deserve you in any way.
 
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frustrated
February 11, 2008, 11:46 am PST

online quiz

Does anyone  know where to find this quiz that Dr. Phil directed us to come to his website and do to find out if our prospective partners are compatible for marriage? 
 
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anxious
February 13, 2008, 9:34 am PST

Getting married

Hello, I am getting married July 12, 2008.  I just have a few problems with the wedding and I want to know if I am being unfair to the groom with my wishes.
I am Baptist, he is Catholic, I have agreed to marry in his church which I am not just totally thrilled about.
I have been married before, he hasn't and wants to wear a white tux ... I said if he wanted to wear white I needed to also he said because I had been married before I didn't deserve to wear white in our wedding. He is picking the place and colors for our wedding and I think I deserve to wear whatever I want, this IS MY wedding too!
Please tell me what you think, I really would like to know if I am being unfair.
 
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