You love dating him. You laugh together, share secrets, and talk about the future. Is it time to go from dating to relationship? Having a good time dating does not mean he's exclusive (or you for that matter.) Perhaps it is time to talk about making the move to something more serious. Relationships require a lot but the rewards are great; maybe even leading to something greater.
Before you broach the subject with your guy, prepare yourself for the answer. He may not be ready - is that going to change things for you? Hmm… the best way to know is to ask.
Ask your partner how he feels about exclusive dating (aka a relationship) with you. Don't try to convince him. If he's not ready, he's not ready.
Tell him how you feel. For goodness sake, do not go overboard by talking about love and marriage. Instead, tell him how you have had a good time and how much you value your time together. Talk about how good it feels to work together and how much you care.Be honest but don't completely bare your soul.
Discuss what exclusive means. Do not assume that you know because this kind of relationship means different things to different people. Tell him what you think it is and allow him to speak too. It's probable that the two of you will have to work out some things along the way but that is to be expected.
Prepare to sacrifice and expect the same in return. Here's where it can get tricky. He wants to see his Mom at Christmas but you want to see your Dad. Take these opportunities to work together on finding solutions. You will not get every wish nor will he. That's the "relationship" part, giving and taking.
Resist the temptation to get intense. If you both agreed to be exclusive, that's no reason to go ring shopping or lose your sense of humor. Have fun and avoid getting too serious too fast. Nothing turns a guy off more than someone who's clingy - even if he's crazy about her. It's a big turn off for some of us ladies too!
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