I was in this type of situation before and while it didnt work out for me im sure it can for you. one thing i always did was when he was stressed he would complain that he wanted me there. dont apologize a bunch for the situation. its not your fault you cant be there and he eventually got frustrated with me saying "sorry" all the time. just do your best to console him and realize when he needs some space. if you do book a flight and his family member gets sick again dont go into "girlfriend mode" to make him feel better. he will notice the change, still be there for him but try not to do EVERYTHING to make him feel better. just keep working on it and if it comes right down to it your gonna have to have a "awkward" conversation and flat out tell him what you feel is going on. distance relationships are hard but arent impossible. and if it doesnt work out you will still be ok. obviously he didnt need you as bad as you both thought. best of luck to you and dont give up on him.

I think the thing you have to think about is that life is filled with stress. If you want to be with this man for a long time and build a life with him, many stress filled situations are going to come up. I am not minimizing the seriousness of his situation. I just think that many people want to talk to and be surrounded by the ones they love when they are under stress. To be married and have children is to be surrounded by constant stress and pressures. I think that the main thing you could do for him is to let you know that you are there to listen whenever he is upset and needs to talk. And then really listen to him, don't offer solutions, just empathisize. You have two things going against you: the fact that you have not been dating very long and are already long distance and the age difference. I become suspicious of men that age that are unable to sustain a relationship with a woman a bit closer to his own age. I would wonder how many long terms relationships he has had?

I agree with what Janine said. Are you sure he is capable of having a serious, long relationship? My sister is dating a man very much older than her as well, and... what can I say, I'm not impressed by what I see.

Plus, it sounds like his family member is prone to sickness, so it might happen again and again (I hope it doesn't, though). It looks like he's not very good at dealing with stress. Life happens- he should be seeking comfort from you, not picking fights with you. If every time something stressful happens your relationship is threatened, do you really want to take the chances with this guy?

Protect your heart until you find someone who can do it better than you.

You're only 2 months in and you've already threatened to break up twice? Cut your losses and find someone your own age that doesnt blame his arguments on family members being sick.

Good luck.

"Don't fall for someone who's not willing to catch you"

You're young, youll find someone who at his age can manage stress better. Walk out.

You seem incredibly insecure about your relationship and your interactions with this man. I think that is only normal given the extreme age difference.

You are going to have to follow your heart and stop analyzing every step you take. If he breaks up with you, so be it, better than having to worry about everything you say in front of him.

A relationship should NOT be this much work, especially in the early stages. Get out.

I agree with everyone else. Just leave.

I agree. The first 3-4 months should be AWESOMEWONDERFUL! Definitely not stressful. It sounds like he simply isn't ready yet and you know what, you're only 19! You're moving to an awesome city for an awesome opportunity - just go enjoy it!

his "family member"? i read "child". this is a sign of things to come, if you want more of the same stick around.

sorry but it's this stressful at 2 months?? this early on is the best part of the relationship, or should be, with all the fun and the "Honeymoon" stage. and if you are already forced to do long distance? And the age difference? sorry hun but where exactly do you see this going??

..Just my opinion.. think it's quite obvious to move on.

I agree with Fallen85 and Berlin. I think it's time to say adios.

Stress/crisis can bring a couple closer or tear them apart. If you keep breaking up, what does that tell you about your relationship? Rarely do these types of relationships last. Tell him you're there to listen if he wants to talk. Giving him empathy and sympathy is all you can do. Don't take on his problems and try to fix things. He has to learn how to cope with stress. If he doesn't want to talk about it, don't push him. You have to trust what he says. If he gets mad at you for not doing more, then decide if you want to live with this drama. You'll become a emotional void. It's always going to be this way.

Your relationship is so young, you should be blissfully happy right now, not stressed. If I were in your shoes, I would let him go. I've been in situations similar to what your going through- the stress, ill family members, distance- but, I had been in my relationship for almost a year before we had to experience those things. If you want to stay with him and make things works, here's some quick advice: try to be lighthearted about the family illness without being disrespectful, come up with creative ways to keep in touch with each other to make the distance easier (real letters in the mail, sexy phone calls, sweet care packages), and talk to him about the stress calmly so that the two of you can discuss your issues civilly.

You're in a rocky relationship with a man 9 years older than you and it's taking its toll on you. It looks like it'll also affect your future work and edcaution, such as this internship. My advice is to get out NOW.

I agree w/ the ladies: LEAVE the relationship.

Tell him nicely that it's not working out and that you wish him the best in love and life and tell him that after each of you have gotten over each other, you'd eventually be friends.

I'd vote for leave because his stress has already threatened break-upS only after 2 months of being gf-bf. Like Janine says, stress comes often to EVERYONE'S life whether it's due to close family's problems or our own problems, and it can either break you up or pull you closer. In your case, it breaks you up and seem to have an impact on you and your future as well.
Please cut him off, you don't need this. If you intend on becoming some sort of a 'nurturer,' or a 'savior' type (which a lot of girls have a syndrome of ), do volunteer work instead, it'll nurture your soul too instead of wasting your time in a relationship that's not working out already in the HONEYMOON phase.

*Unconditional love is a beautiful thing, just be sure to give it AFTER your conditions have been met.*

there will always be stress in life, your doing the kind thing to not rant with him right now about your stressors as he is already so stressed out. Save that for your girlfriends You can still let him know whats bothering you of course, but there's a difference between saying it and going on about it. Don't give up on a great guy

wait a minute, where does everyone get that this guy is a bad guy? I must be missing something... I read it as a temporarily stressful time. Upon re-reading, I still do not see what everyone else is seeing. O well.

You are 19 years old and he is 28!! You are in completely didn't phases of life. Since you have been dating for such a short period of time, you shouldn't be have THAT much stress in your relationship. He shouldn't be taking his stress out on because of situation in his family life that doesn't have anything to do with your relationship. He sounds like kind of an immature 28 year old if you ask me.