**TL;DR**: Boyfriend (31M) might propose soon, but I (26F) have reservations and know I won’t marry him due to his selective forgetfulness, his desire for status through my influencer-like image, financial disparities (I’m a business owner with significant assets, he’s struggled with job stability), and an unbalanced dynamic (I’m often paying for outings). He’s shown interest in being a stay-at-home dad, which doesn’t align with my aspirations. Today, he criticized my grocery spending for his house, which led to a frank discussion about our financial management styles. I hinted he shouldn’t buy a ring, but dodged the full truth. Need advice on possibly ending the relationship without unnecessary hurt.

​

**Long version:** I’m in a dilemma and need some objective advice. I suspect my boyfriend (31 M) might be considering buying an engagement ring but I (26 F) have reservations that I’m struggling to communicate and I already know I won’t marry him.

1. He says he’s forgetful, which is a concern because Alzheimer’s runs in his family. However, this forgetfulness is incredibly concerning and seems selective and he leans on me to remember things for him, like a parent, which isn’t something I signed up for. I’ve explicitly told him I’m not his mother, yet the pattern continues.
2. He seems quite enamoured with the idea of being seen as dating an influencer (people noticing my picture as his phone background), which makes me question the authenticity of our connection. Beyond that, there’s an undercurrent of judgement about other people’s choices concerning health and fitness, but he doesn’t seem to reflect on his own financial health. Like every time he wants to talk about how someone else can improve on their lives I throw him a bombastic side eye because I’m just like “get YOUR life together before commenting on anyone else’s life”. He’s also made comments on my eating habits – something no one has ever brought up before and I find it quite unnecessary and invasive. I also let him know that I typically take advice from those who are in better off places than I am which most people should do.
3. We’re in different places financially – I’m a multi-state property owner managing two businesses and had plans to move to France, which I put on pause for the relationship. To provide prospective on the differences, in the town we’re in, I own a four bedroom flat & he’s tried asking me to move into his studio 30 minutes outside of the city centre. Additionally, I’m usually the one paying when we go out, and if I’m not paying, he’s asking me for half the bill. I’ve expressed to him that I’m not a feminist nor do I have any ideology where the woman splits things. I strongly believe in supporting my man but not being his supporter. I care for him and don’t want to be insensitive, especially with his job struggles following the picture strikes, but I also need to stay true to what I want in life especially with everything I’ve sacrificed in my early twenties. I’ve paid for our outings about 100 times, while he has covered us perhaps 10 times.
4. Speaking of, his work totally stopped during covid & the strikes that followed afterwards really effected his income which I am totally understanding about. I even said to him that “we can be broke & hustle together!” But with every single “assignment” I’ve given him, he’s fallen short.
5. The more time I spend with him, the more I realise he’s not someone I can ever see myself marrying. Issue is, he told his parents we were getting married the very first time I met them, which threw me off completely. It’s not just about the financial aspect, this has a bit to do with his lack of memory & the vibe that im getting that he’s interested in being a stay at home father rather than the other pilar of the empire im preparing for my offspring. He posed the question to me the other day “Would you be able to take care of me and kids if I lost my legs?” My immediate retort was “Did you brain break too? Because many people work without legs.” Additionally, I value a reciprocal partnership, which isn’t aligning with our current situation.
6. 04/11/2023 Update: Today, I was buying some groceries for his place and he started questioning the cost of the groceries, despite the fact I wasn’t asking him to pay. He then goes on to say that he’s “just looking out for my finances”. I calmly explained to him that as someone who runs two businesses, manages to pay employees regularly and handle personal finances for 26 years (not to mention my masters degree in global economics), I am quite capable of managing my own money. I also mentioned that it seemed like he was projecting his financial insecurities onto me and it might be better for him to focus on his own financial situation.
Afterwards, we were in his car when I mentioned that he simply shouldn’t focus on purchasing an engagement ring. When he asked me “why” I really struggled to tell him the true reason & instead I told him that he should really focus on organising his funds in such a way that he isn’t rushing to purchase a ring now only for him to be skint later.

It would be great to hear both sides of this. Perhaps I’m doing something wrong or seeing things the wrong way? Maybe I’m terrible for wanting to dissuade him from a proposal and considering ending the relationship due to these misaligned values and goals?
If we aren’t aligned, how do I approach this without causing more hurt than necessary?

I appreciate your thoughts and thank you in advance.

1 comment
  1. You really seem to have broken these concerns down effectively. Appreciate the formatting.

    That being said, while well noted & explained, it appears as if I can’t find anything positive you may have mentioned about him.

    Considering such misaligned interests, I can’t imagine any other better way than to be as straightforward as possible.

    I have absolutely no experience with something like this but seeing as there’s no other post at the moment, I’d say to set the tone for a serious talk on the subject of the future of the relationship, get a firm grip on his own goals & how he feels about the current state of things, express your own goals explicitly to him & feelings of current state, assess any misalignments together, discuss whatever possible solutions & improvements wherever, & figure out the viability of continuing I guess. Be truthful & compassionate to both him & yourself. That’s what comes to mind.

    I wish I had something more battle-hardened but here’s to hoping for the best.

Leave a Reply
You May Also Like