So I started dating my boyfriend recently after being friends for years, and I’ve known for a very long time that he doesn’t really want kids. But I absolutely do. He says it’s not something he absolutely never wants, but I don’t want him to change his mind for me, and doesn’t want me to do that for him either.

We’re both very marriage minded so this is something we keep in mind, but that seems to be the only big thing we can’t really agree on right now and probably the thing that would keep us from anything else in the future.

I don’t want to break up with him because things are really great, but I’m also worried that we’ll spend the next few years investing time and energy into a relationship that may not lead anywhere and we’ll both end up hurt. (I have pretty bad anxiety so this is stuff I think about all the time.) Does anyone have any helpful advice?