Do Tell: What Do You Consider a Long-Term Relationship?

June 12, 2008

When a relationship is serious, it’s common to define it as long term in order to qualify its significance. But what does long term really mean? Chitchatting with some girlfriends the other night, I realized that we all had a different length of time that qualified as long term in our books. For some of them it was only a few months, but one was a stickler for length — she said two years! So what about you? Do tell, how much time has to pass before you consider a relationship to be long term? Or does it have more to do with the seriousness than any set amount of time?

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31 Comments

dikke kus 3 years 47 weeks

Has to do more with the seriousness of it. People can be together three months and get married. People can be together two years and still not live together, no engagement ring.

dikke kus 3 years 47 weeks

Has to do more with the seriousness of it. People can be together three months and get married.People can be together two years and still not live together, no engagement ring.

Andrea87 4 years 16 weeks

It depends on the couple. I consider my relationship long-term. It will be 3 years in March and we have been living with each other for the last two years. Anything under a year is not considered long-term to me.

AmberHoney 4 years 48 weeks

I've been married for 25 years - I'm long term.

805surfgirl 4 years 48 weeks

I think after two years its considered a long term. They say that if you make it past the 7 month mark you're pretty much headed into a long term. This is because at this point you pretty much know your partners quirks and if you're willing to put up with them. hmmmm

mmechou 4 years 48 weeks

long term to me suggests a "future" - that is, you've been dating long enough (maybe it's only two months, maybe it's 5 years) to know that this is probably the person you'll spend your life with. maybe that's narrow minded, but most people don't tend to date someone "long term" if it's not leading somewhere. not sure i agree with it, but it's a tendency in minnesota, at least.

northofantastic 4 years 49 weeks

I'll go with 2 years as well. My BF and I will be dating two years this July and we're pretty damn serious.

bbkf 4 years 49 weeks

I'd say that 2 years or more is "long-term," but I don't think all long-term relationships are "serious." I had an exclusive relationship with a guy for 4 years in highschool, but I wouldn't consider that a serious relationship.

RaCheer 4 years 49 weeks

I think 2 years because at one year you tend to still be in that "honeymoon" phase. This coming from someone who has been with her boyfriend for 5 years...

TidalWave 4 years 49 weeks

I think that after six months you can say "It's fairly serious" and then in the 1-2 year mark, that it is a long-term relationship. Closer to 2 though. I dated a guy for 1.5 years and although it was exclusive and serious, I knew it wasn't going anywhere so I never called it long-term, so it also depends on the situation.

TidalWave 4 years 49 weeks

melaniestylereflection 4 years 49 weeks

I think it depends more on seriousness and anything more than 2 years. Also, depends on how you feel about the other and if the feelings are serious and strong.

bingkaycoy 4 years 49 weeks

Long term relationship for me means more than 4 years---being with the same person for that length of time

yadiet 4 years 49 weeks

long term....my fiancee and I. 5 yeasr and 6 months....:JAWDROP:

sparklestar 4 years 49 weeks

A relationship where you will make plans more than 2 months ahead of time? ;p

sparklestar 4 years 49 weeks

A relationship where you will make plans more than 2 months ahead of time? ;p

bigestivediscuit 4 years 49 weeks

I think it's the level of seriousness ... when you start to really think about making plans for the future together (I'm not talking about marriage necessarily), it's turning into a long-term relationship. For me, it was the dual realization between me and my boyfriend that even if we had to go through years of on/off physical separation (we're currently living in the same city but are from different continents and have spent months apart), we still wanted to be together, despite the stress, etc. :)

Lambsauce 4 years 49 weeks

Yep, I agree with lickety split... when you're in high school, being with the same person for 6 months is OMGForever!!.

lickety split 4 years 49 weeks

depends on the age of the people in the relationship. in high school i think 6 months or more is long term. by college probably a year. once you're 30+ i'd say 2 years. but i think you can be in a serious relationship before that. this is just for "long term".

radmama27 4 years 49 weeks

I agree with halfbakedjake - its about how the relationship is, and how you are planning out the future with the relationship.

jkatie 4 years 49 weeks

A year and 8 months cause thats what I'm at. No really I think about 2 years is when its so called "long term"

halfbakedjake 4 years 49 weeks

I think you've reached long term relationship status when you start thinking about the long term: as in, planning your future with the other intertwined in it.