Relationship milestones

Before dreaming about “happily ever after” with your true love, there are some significant relationship milestones to manoeuvre through. These milestones can be used to guage how the relationship is progressing, whether you are both feeling the same way, and how well you understand each other.

Like many areas in modern dating, the commitment line is a blurred one. Milestones in the relationship that are significant for you may not be significant for your other half. For some, reaching three months in a relationship may be very significant if they usually only last a few weeks. Your other half may have come out of a six year relationship before this one, so three months is not viewed as a significant milestone.

According to experts, for most relationships the first milestone will be committing to see each other exclusively and becoming a couple. The next milestone is when cupid appears. Saying “I love you” is a serious commitment. Some individuals say it before they really mean it because they think it’s what the other person wants to hear. But no one wants to hear “I love you” unless it is meant sincerely.

The next significant milestone may be moving in together, with or without marriage. Research shows couples who live together first are at greater risk of divorcing. One explanation for this may be the difference in the way men and women view living together.

Women see living together as a step before marriage to their partner, whereas men view it as a “try before they buy” situation. Living together may make men less inclined to marry as they are getting all the benefits of marriage without the commitment. Tread your path carefully!