A woman says she has “pulled back” from her partner of 19 years after he continually refuses to propose.
The woman shared her story on the “relationships” section of the popular U.K.-based parenting site mumsnet.com on Jan. 5. She explained that she and her partner have two children together and she has asked him to propose “more times than I can count.”
“His excuse is always the same,” she wrote, claiming that he responds with either “we can’t afford it” (even though she tells him they can have an inexpensive wedding) or “we will have to see how things go.”
The original poster (OP) went on to admit that she and her partner “broke up a lot in the first 10 years together,” but noted that “since having children we are fine.” She also shared that the pair “still have moments” of almost splitting up — which she says are due to his lack of respect and her “confrontational way” of pointing it out. She also wrote that her partner says that if they marry, he’s worried she will “threaten him with divorce.”
The PEOPLE Puzzler crossword is here! How quickly can you solve it? Play now!
Things apparently reached a boiling point when the boyfriend’s 65-year-old mother recently got engaged.
“I told him how happy I was for [her],” she wrote in her post, adding that he then joked that she will “just have to wait” until she’s also 65 for a proposal.
The OP said the comment “really got me down,” and that “I can tell he knows I’m hurt.” However, she also shared that she “can’t leave yet” because “my children adore him.”
“He is a s— partner but a wonderful father who dotes on his children,” she concluded.
In the post’s comment section, a number of people chimed in — with most sharing that they don’t understand why the OP wants to marry this man in the first place.
“Your relationship sounds awful so not sure why you even want to marry him — it won’t change him into a decent partner,” one person wrote.
Never miss a story — sign up for PEOPLE’s free daily newsletter to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories.
“This is not a good relationship! It doesn’t need cementing with vows,” commented another.
“The marriage ship sailed at the point you had your first kid without a wedding ring,” yet another person wrote. “I’ve seen this happen too many times to count now. And why do you want to marry a s— partner anyway? Do yourself a huge favor and put him out with the bins instead.”
Read the full article here
