13 Men Reveal How They Feel About The Prospect Of Marrying Their Long-term Girlfriends

Apparently guys can have some strong feelings about the prospect of marriage. Here are some responses from 13 dudes: 1. “My girlfriend’s desperation to walk down the aisle is the giant, blood-sucking squid strangling our relationship right now."  -- Oliver, 29

2. “It’s just something you’ve gotta do—like showering, or paying the bills. The difference is, you have to seem happy about it. Otherwise, you get in trouble.” — Tom, 31

3. “My girlfriend gave me an ultimatum recently, the day after she turned 30. I have two months left to propose and I don’t know what the fuck I’m gonna do, truthfully. I understand she’s scared that I haven’t asked yet—she doesn’t want to waste her “good years” on me if I won’t commit long-term—but I also don’t love the idea of being strong-armed into marriage.” — Pedro, 32

4. “I’m terrified that I’m going to get drunk and pop the question just to get laid one night. That would be dumb." — Roger, 27 5. “I’m young. I’ll marry this one, but I fully expect to upgrade to a newer model ten to twenty years down the line. She’ll be sick of me by then anyway.” — Bret, 24 6. “If I hear my girlfriend mention her rapidly decreasing egg count one more time, I’m out. She might think she’s being subtle with the marry-me hints, but she’s not. The whining is totally unbecoming. Give a man some room to breathe and do his thing.” — Jackson, 36

7. “I want kids, so I have no choice, right? The bastard thing is only cool if you’re Jon Snow. We might as well do things in the order we’re supposed to.” — Bo, 28

8. “I have an ex-wife and I’m not psyched about remarrying. But I love my girlfriend—I really do—so if marriage is what she wants, that’s what she’ll get. Eventually.” — Mark, 38

9. “My girlfriend is an amazing woman. We’ve been dating for five years and they’ve been the happiest of my life. Marrying her would be a privilege. A gift. An honor. I plan to ask her right after I’ve saved enough money to propose with the ring of her dreams. Psych! You didn’t buy that, did you? Marriage is for losers. I’m not settling down any time soon.” — Derek, 25 10. “My girlfriend and I have been to so many weddings together over the last few years and during other people’s ceremonies, we both get the itch to tie the knot ourselves. But for me it’s really a temporary sensation that evaporates by the time our newlywed friends are on their honeymoon. For my girlfriend, the desire never recedes—it just gets bigger and bigger. I think I’m three weddings away from witnessing a total meltdown, unless of course I sack up and propose.” — Sam, 27 11. “Every woman deserves her special day. I get that. But does it really have to cost so much fucking money? I mean, c’mon. If you’re serious about building a future with a guy, why bankrupt him?” — Larry, 29 12. “At first my girlfriend said she was set on a destination beach wedding. Then it was a small reception in the next town over. Now she says she just wants to dash over to City Hall. She keeps lowering the bar for me, and I still can’t work up the nerve to pop the question. Does that mean the relationship’s flawed, or I am?” — Charles, 28 13. “I don’t believe in marriage, but I don’t believe in being an asshole, either. I’ll get there. I think.” — Trevor, 35 Wow. A bunch of prizes here, no? Seems to me if these couples were truly honest with each other, this wouldn't be an issue at all. I think if you find yourself in this situation, you need to sit down and have a conversation. Ladies, if marriage is your deal breaker and he's not interested, you need to cut him loose or look long and hard at whether or not you are just looking for a real commitment and not necessarily a marriage. Talk to him. Don't just drop hints or use strong arm tactics to get him to propose. All that does is perpetuate the stereotype that women are in things to trap and trick men into marrying them! We're better than that! Guys, if you don't want to get married and know you will never want to, and she's pushing for it, treat her like an adult. Treat her like a human and tell her how you feel. You, too, are better than that. It may hurt her, but you are showing her the respect she deserves. If it is a sticking point for you both and you can't come together on it, why are you still in a relationship? Love is grand but marriage can be a pretty big elephant in the room. Honesty is always the best policy here. What do you think? Talk it out or continue as is until someone caves?