Should I wait?

It sounds like you both want different things. It might be time to move on.:flowerforyou:

Move on...it sounds to me like you want different things in life; why should you give up on ever having children b/c he is dead set against it? This is a lose-lose situation. You would wind up settling and resenting him later b/c he refuses to budge on something you want. You sound ready to commit; he's using you as an excuse not to commit. He's not the only one out there. I do not believe there is only one true love for each of us in the world...I once believed this and my heart was broken when my engagement was broken by my fiance. Boy, was I surprised when I met my husband now, we married after only 42 days and we've been married for 23 years. We are soul mates, I couldn't have every hoped for someone as perfect for me as him and me for him.

Don't settle; wait for the REAL right one! He's still out there!

Completely stepping outside of value judgements of this man (that's really for you to decide), what is important here is deciding what you WANT and acting on it. If having a family is important to you, if it is something you really and truly want but is not something he wants, then regardless of whatever other compatibilities you two share, you are fundamentally incompatible. If this is the case, it's no one's fault, it's no one's failing, simply a different alignment of priorities.

Evaluate how important this is to you, and why. Once you can answer that question, go from there.

THIS ^^^^

The most important thing I've learned from relationships in my 20s is to not put other people in charge of my life decisions. This means not letting a man stall my life as an individual.

Do what is best for you based on your experience and common sense. If he's not looking like a good investment, it's because he's not a good investment.

If he is inflexible on having children and that is what you really want, it is time to find someone else. He sounds like he has a lot of excuses for not giving you what you want. Life is too short to waste your time.

somewhat similar but different scenerio, I divorced @ age 30 because my wife at the time decides 4 yrs into our marriage that she doesn't want children. At first I thought "maybe this is just an easy way out for her because she wasn't happy with the way our life was going" 13 yrs later, I am remarried with 2 step kids and a lil girl of my own. She is remarried with no kids. Glad I made that decision!

if he doesn't want to marry after 5 years, don't buy into the argument that he will 6-8 years. Its BS. Look, you said you are 30. If you want kids, you can't wait for this guy to marry you years down the road (which he may not do anyway). You need to look out for you.

If five years isn't long enough for him, he has committment issues or else he really is just not that into you and he'll marry the next woman he dates. He's probably never going to marry you. Sorry to be so blunt, but that's what it sounds like.

I have to disagree. My boyfriend and I have been together for almost 9 years now, and neither of us want to get married. Does that mean we have commitment issues? No. It just means we are perfectly happy the way things are now. It works for us. Just because a man (or woman for that matter) doesn't want to get married after dating for a year or two doesn't mean they aren't fully committed. I have heard so many times by friends and relatives that things change after the wedding - regardless of how long you've been living together or dating.... I don't want that.

You want kids. He doesn't.

People don't change things like that. Move on.

I disagree with this; this is something that could change. I had a best friend once who hated kids. She would ask to be moved in restaurants if she was placed near a child, and when she and her husband first got married and had cookouts, she told her husband not to invite anyone with children. Her daughter will be 4 next month, and she couldn't be happier - a planned pregnancy (not a surprise) as they had to really try to get pregnant. People do change.

I think kids are the real issue here. If he doesn't want them and you do then this is not going to work without one of you being bitter.

As far as the time limit for dating before marriage goes... I am shocked at how many people are against 5+ years of dating before marriage. The marriage certificate is just a piece of paper. Nothing has to change. I was with my SO for 6 years before I asked her and then we didn't do it for another 2 years. We have been married for 13 years now so a total of 21 years together. There really is no difference in our relationship before or after marriage with the exception of a bunch of rug rats.

I don't know if it's about being "against 5+ years of dating before marriage"... It's the fact that this man has basically stipulated that he will not marry before dating someone 7 years to a decade. If marriage is just a piece of paper to you, then of course you feel this way, but to people who place a priority on marriage, I don't think it's unreasonable to balk at that kind of time frame.

I've been with someone almost eight years now without being married, so I get the "just a piece of paper" mentality, but I can also completely understand why someone wouldn't want to waste that kind of time to find out that their partner was just stalling.

I guess my point is that people should place a priority on a loving, committed relationship and not on marriage. Some may argue they are the same and ideally they should be, but I have seen many friends meet someone, date, get married, and divorce in the time my SO and I dated.

Again, the real issue for the OP is kids so she should probably move on or poke a hole in the condom.

If five years isn't long enough for him, he has committment issues or else he really is just not that into you and he'll marry the next woman he dates. He's probably never going to marry you. Sorry to be so blunt, but that's what it sounds like.

I have to disagree. My boyfriend and I have been together for almost 9 years now, and neither of us want to get married. Does that mean we have commitment issues? No. It just means we are perfectly happy the way things are now. It works for us. Just because a man (or woman for that matter) doesn't want to get married after dating for a year or two doesn't mean they aren't fully committed. I have heard so many times by friends and relatives that things change after the wedding - regardless of how long you've been living together or dating.... I don't want that.

You want kids. He doesn't.

People don't change things like that. Move on.

I disagree with this; this is something that could change. I had a best friend once who hated kids. She would ask to be moved in restaurants if she was placed near a child, and when she and her husband first got married and had cookouts, she told her husband not to invite anyone with children. Her daughter will be 4 next month, and she couldn't be happier - a planned pregnancy (not a surprise) as they had to really try to get pregnant. People do change.

She wants to be married. SHE wants kids. It's not that they both don't want marriage and they both don't want kids. Your comparison fails. If she wants to be married and wants kids then she should have that. There are plenty of men out there that do.

He's saying he never wants kids and he wants to wait 10 years to get married. It sounds like he's waiting for someone better to come along and if no one comes along in 10 years he'd consider marrying you. And he doesn't want to have kids because then he'd be stuck with you.
Tell him he's free to do what he wants but you're going to do what you want and what you deserve. Leave his indecisive *kitten* and go find yourself a real man. One who will love you and be happy to commit to you. One who wants the same things you want.
It will be hard to move on, but you will be happier in the end. You will be stronger because you had the strength to leave and go for what you really want out of life. You both want different things. If one of you gets what you want, the other doesn't. He may be a nice guy but you're fundamentally incompatible.