In the modern dating world, we often hear about a couple “getting serious,” but what exactly does that mean? Getting serious tends to refer to when you’re exclusively with someone with the intention of dating long-term or getting married. When a guy is serious about you, he’s usually over casual dating and ready to settle down. In fact, there’s a good chance he sees you as marriage material.
So, how do you know if a guy is serious about you? Well, if you’re dating someone who hasn’t flat out said he’s getting serious about you, you may have to start looking for signs he sees you as a long-term partner. This involves reflecting on your interactions and relationship to see if he’s exhibiting behavior that suggests he wants to take things to the next level.
To help you recognize this behavior, we’ve listed nine signs he wants a serious relationship with you. From showing that he deeply cares about you to introducing you to his loved ones, these are just a few signs that he might be really into you!
One tell-tale sign he sees you as long-term is if he makes you a priority. For example, if he’s prioritizing you, he’ll follow through with your plans, even if his friends invite him to something at the last minute, and he’ll do his errands earlier in the day to free up his evening to spend time with you. Prioritizing you means he puts in the time and effort to balance other factors in his life to ensure he can see you or communicate with you.
However, if he’s always flaking on you, showing up late, ignoring your texts, or forgetting about your plans, he’s not making you a priority in his life and may not be that serious about you.
If he’s serious about wanting to settle down with you, then he’ll respect you in every way. That means he’ll admire your attributes, celebrate your achievements, and honor your thoughts and feelings. It also means he’ll respect your boundaries. For example, he’ll understand if you need space and alone time, won’t pressure you to get intimate before you’re ready, and always accept “no” as an answer.
Respecting you also involves respecting your time and energy. If the guy you’re seeing is serious about you, he won’t waste your time or make you wait around for him. He’ll arrive on time, let you know when he’s running late, and never stand you up.
Someone who isn’t serious about you won’t call you his girlfriend (or boyfriend) in public, especially in front of his friends. In fact, he might even go as far as acting like he doesn’t know you or pretending not to be interested in you. But if he is serious about you, he’ll be willing to label and define the relationship. Calling you his partner is a sign that he’s willing to commit, wants to be your boyfriend, and is proud to be with you.
If your guy regularly texts or calls you, this is another sign he wants a serious relationship with you. This reveals that he’s genuinely invested in the relationship and wants to stay in touch with you to hear about how you’re doing and what you’re doing. Even if he’s busy, he’ll make communicating with you a priority.
However, if he only responds when you reach out first or goes quiet for days or weeks on end, he might be more interested in casually dating you right now.
He might have a different love language than you or show his love in unique ways, but when a guy is serious about you, he’ll make an effort to show his love and appreciation for you.
For some guys, that might mean surprising you with flowers and chocolates on a random Tuesday or making dinner reservations at a fancy French restaurant. For others, a romantic gesture might involve grabbing groceries for you when he knows you had a stressful day at work or making you cookies when you’re feeling down. It’s not so much about what the romantic gesture is as long as he’s going above and beyond to make you feel special.
How do you know if a guy is serious about you? If he’s serious about you, he’ll listen and ask questions about you to get to know you better. He’ll be open to having thoughtful and meaningful conversations with you, and he won’t shy away from the heavy stuff. He’ll also be more likely to open up and share his vulnerable side with you.
This differs from someone who isn’t ready to settle down, as they tend to be closed off and refuse to deepen their connection with you to prevent the relationship from getting too serious. If he only has surface-level conversations with you, then he’s probably not ready for a relationship.
Have you ever dated someone who wasn’t willing to introduce you to their friends and family? If so, it probably felt kind of like you were a secret, right? Well, chances are, you were a secret because he didn’t want his friends and relatives to know about your relationship.
That’s not the case if the guy you’re seeing is serious about you. When he’s looking to take things further with you, he’ll be eager to introduce you to those who mean the most to him because he’ll want you to know them, too. This invitation into his inner circle is often considered a relationship green flag.
Whether your guy is asking you to come visit his grandmother with him or inviting you to see his favorite baseball team play, these are signs he sees you as long-term because he wants to share the special things in his life with you. This inclusion proves he enjoys being around you and likes the idea of you getting to know him on a deeper level.
However, if he’s always choosing his friends over you or sneaking off to do things on his own, then he might not be ready to make things exclusive with you yet.
A big sign he wants a serious relationship with you is when your guy discusses the future and includes you in his plans. For example, maybe he’s inviting you on his annual family ski trip this winter or discussing the possibility of getting a dog together next year. The simple act of making plans for the future together suggests he sees you in the picture for the long run.
Alternatively, if he has trouble including you in his plans next month or even next week, he’s probably not thinking about this relationship long-term.
If the guy you’re dating isn’t exhibiting any of these behaviors, it doesn’t necessarily mean your relationship is doomed. Sometimes, relationships take time to evolve as you get to know each other better. That said, if you’ve been dating for months or years on end and he still isn’t showing signs of wanting a serious relationship, it might be time to move on.
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