I am in a bit of a predicament. I am 24 years old and my girlfriend is 31 years old. We have been dating for 2.5 years, and are considering getting married. I feel a lot of pressure to get married from her which is understandable because she may not have the chance at another relationship if we were to break up. I really love her and I can't even imagine my life without her in it. We both live in manhattan. My job forces me to work at least 80 hours/week. She works as well (about 60 hours/week). This will be the situation for another 5 years or so. She is very supportive of my career, and very ambitious and successful herself.
My main concern is that I won't have the time to properly raise a family within her time line. I think I will have time to raise a family in about 5-6 years. We have both agreed that we wouldn't discuss the issue of kids for another 4 years. I'm concerned that there may difficulty in conceiving at that point, or that she may change her mind on these views at a point in my career when I cannot properly raise children.
I don't think finances will be a problem. I make about $150K, and she makes about $180K.
Both of us were raised in strong Christian families, and share similar family values. However, one thing which has continued to bother me through our whole relationship is her previous relationships. When I've asked her about the number of men she has slept with, she says she is unsure and dodges the question. This leads me to believe it is much higher than my number. It seems like over the 2.5 years we have been dating, I continue to find out more stories about her previous relationships. I even found out that she used to maintain an online dating profile (before we were together). I am 100% confident that she always has been and always will be faithful, but I find it difficult to give a blanket forgiveness for past relationships that I might not even know about.
My parents are trying very hard to make sure the decision in mine, but I get the distinct impression that they feel I am too young and/or the age gap is too large to overcome.
My main concern is that I won't have the time to properly raise a family within her time line. I think I will have time to raise a family in about 5-6 years. We have both agreed that we wouldn't discuss the issue of kids for another 4 years. I'm concerned that there may difficulty in conceiving at that point, or that she may change her mind on these views at a point in my career when I cannot properly raise children.
I don't think finances will be a problem. I make about $150K, and she makes about $180K.
Both of us were raised in strong Christian families, and share similar family values. However, one thing which has continued to bother me through our whole relationship is her previous relationships. When I've asked her about the number of men she has slept with, she says she is unsure and dodges the question. This leads me to believe it is much higher than my number. It seems like over the 2.5 years we have been dating, I continue to find out more stories about her previous relationships. I even found out that she used to maintain an online dating profile (before we were together). I am 100% confident that she always has been and always will be faithful, but I find it difficult to give a blanket forgiveness for past relationships that I might not even know about.
My parents are trying very hard to make sure the decision in mine, but I get the distinct impression that they feel I am too young and/or the age gap is too large to overcome.