From The Girlfriend to the Alter

They say a man knows in 6 months if he wants to spend the rest of his life with his woman. Let's be CLEAR on the type of MAN I am talking about. The one at an particular age, his career is in a stable place with room to grow, he is done playing the field, to him his life is together and he is READY. With that being said, if you are in a relationship how long is too long to just be the girlfriend?

Some people may say marriage isn't for everyone, or you shouldn't put a time limit on love, or it depends on the person etc etc. In reality when your ready, your ready. You have a plan for your life and you find someone else who has a plan you two come together and create a life together. Though you may love that person with all your heart, the two may not be on the same page at the same time. He may be ready and she may not be ready, so what do you do? That's where it gets complicated. That's where the list of Pros and Cons come out! 

You don't want to "waste" any time. You don't want to be "stuck" in this situation meaning, they say soon, soon, soon but your LOVE for that person keeps you there and before you know it, your old and gray in a relationship for 10 years with a person who was perfectly comfortable in the situation and has been leading you on for years. You don't want to keep giving away the Milk for free, meaning treating the person as your wife or husband when they wont even put your relationship on a pedestal by giving you the ultimate title.

As a woman in my early 30's with no children, when I date I ask those key questions. Do you WANT to be married one day? Do you want to have children (if he doesn't have any already)? If he does have a child or two (that's my limit), I ask Are you willing to have more? I ask because at my age I want a husband and a child and if this man doesn't want the same things, what is the point in building a relationship? Both people need to want the same things. If not you will never truly be happy in your relationship. You will always feel like something is missing or you missed out on something. If we both agree to be married and we've reached that crossroads in our relationship, we need to take steps toward that goal. It should not take more than 2 years for you to put a ring on it and walk down the aisle.