Good day house, please I need your help with this. I am currently in a long-term relationship that I hope turns into a marriage. I'm 27 and he is 31, we have been together for over 5 years (6 in August) and started dating when I was in the university.  We were doing long distance, and even though those years "count" our adult relationship really started when I graduated 4 years ago. Lately, I've been thinking about marriage a lot more. We live together and have been living together for about 2 years now. I think I always knew from the start that he was someone I could see myself marrying, but of late, I'm thinking about it SO OFTEN. Its slightly disconcerting! I always thought of myself as a pretty independent woman, knew I would never marry someone just to be MARRIED, and for a while, I didn't think I wanted kids. But in the past few months, its literally ALL I can think about! Marriage, kids and a house, a life with this guy. I love him to death, but we have had our rough patches. I know that right now, we still have a lot of growing to do before we can have a successful and healthy marriage, but I'm starting to want to see that commitment from him, more so than I ever have before. And honestly, it's scaring me. I always wanted to feel like I was different from other women my age. Right now, all my friends are getting engaged or married and some are already having kids, also scary! but I'm starting to feel the pull. It makes me nervous because my parents have had a horrible relationship (cheating, emotional abuse) and I really don't want that for myself. We have talked about it briefly: we both are on the same page that someday we'd like to get married to each other, but I'm starting to want it sooner than I had thought (i.e. within the next two years). I don't want to pressure him, I know that many men feel this pull towards commitment later than women, because marriage is a partnership, and therefore should be a mutual decision. I would never want to be completely surprised by a proposal either, I'd hope we would have talked about it before. I guess what I'm asking is - I'm starting to get that itch and I wonder how other couples on this forum have gone from long-term loving relationships to healthy marriages in a mutual way? I think I would be okay if we were in a committed relationship without a marriage because I love him and cannot imagine my life without him, but I know that a marriage would solidify my desire to have kids. I guess, help me? I have so many feelings and desires right now and I'm just having trouble expressing them in a constructive and non threatening way to my boyfriend.