Love

10 Clear Signs He Wants To Marry You

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a woman looks at the camera smiling while a man lovingly rest his forehead on the side of her head=

It’s hard to know from the start whether someone will have real marriage potential or not, but as the relationship develops between you and someone you care about, little things might just start to pop up that show if he's serious or not.

These “little things” are really major signs that the man you’re with is ready to commit and considering marrying you.

They’re not the big signs like moving in together or asking you about ring styles, but they’re the day-to-day minutiae that says he considers you to be someone much more significant than just a girlfriend or someone he’s dating.

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10 Signs a Man Wants to Marry You.

1. He wants to be your emergency contact.

And he doesn’t shudder if you ask to put him on the list. He says yes easily as if he were rattling off his birth date or social security number.

2. He confirms plans with you first.

When you’re a girlfriend, you’re notified of the plans. When you’re someone he’s considering as wife material, he checks with you first. You being included on the holidays and being with you is a must. At the very least, he has to try and align his plans to make them your plans, too, even if it fails to work out.

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3. He can rattle off your health information.

From allergies to what happened when you saw the doctor last, he cares about your health and doesn’t have any selective “short-term” memory loss when it comes to this. He also will hold your hand if he knows you’re afraid of having blood drawn and may even work his schedule around it so he can come with you for support.

4. He speaks in the second person.

The smallest, most noticeable mention that indicates he's one of the men who will commit to you and considers you might be wife material is how his speech goes from “me” and “I” to “we” and “us.” Pay attention. What do you hear?

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5. He doesn't talk badly about marriage.

He isn’t one of those guys who calls his friends’ wives “ball and chains,” unless they’re really awful. He isn’t one of those guys who rolls his eyes when a friend says he’s getting married. His attitude about marriage is positive because he thinks it’s a good venture to get into and, possibly, he may want to get in that boat with you.

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6. He's aware of your finances.

So, a live-in boyfriend will also know about your money, but a man who is considering your wife potential knows about your money. He knows your student loan interest rate (perhaps not by heart) and he knows your spending habits. These are important if he wants to marry you.

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7. He remembers important information about your family.

A boyfriend gets along with the mom. He buys her a nice holiday gift. He shows up with you at your house. The man who considers you a “Maybe Mrs.” knows your mom’s favorite tea, avoids certain topics around your sister that he knows agitates her, and can go over to your house alone without you.

He's intimately understanding of your family because for better or for worse, they may end up being his.

8. He knows when you're upset.

A good boyfriend tries to avoid hurting your feelings and if he does he tries to mend the situation. A man who is serious about you knows, most of the time, when you’ll be upset and already has solutions laid out in his mind.

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9. He makes a special effort during major events.

If he’s serious about you and it’s your birthday but he’s a horrible planner, he will try to get one of your best friends to help him plan a bash. If your sister is getting married and he knows you want extra time with her, he might plan to send you two out for a girls’ day.

In these situations, a good boyfriend might just buy you an awesome birthday gift or tell you to spend more time with your sister, but men who will commit go above and beyond to make sure you are happy.

10. He sets boundaries with his family about how they treat you.

It’s subtle but when it comes to how his family treats you, he's firm about a certain level of treatment, even though you’re not his wife yet. They sort of know that’s a possibility and they’re trying to foster the relationship — that is, if they are good people and listen to what he has to say.

If they’re not nice people and they don’t respect him, he may start to limit contact with them in small ways like cutting a holiday visit shorter or tastefully leaving if he thinks they’re causing you stress.

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Laura Lifshitz is a writer and former MTV personality who covers relationships, women’s issues, and parenting. Her work has appeared on The New York Times, Women’s Health, Working Mother, PopSugar, and more.