How do I tell the girl I’m dating that I don’t want marriage and kids?

DEAR DEIDRE: HOW do I tell the girl I’m dating that I don’t want marriage and kids when she does?

The last thing I want to do is hurt her, but I can’t help but feel guilty that I’ve not been completely honest.

I’m 26, she’s 24 and we’ve been dating for three months. 

Our relationship has been a complete whirlwind and we’ve quickly grown deep feelings for each other. 

Now things are becoming serious, we've started having conversations about the future. 

We had never really spoken about it before but recently she told me that she couldn’t wait to start a family and get married. 

At the time I didn’t have the heart to tell her that I never wanted that and ever since it’s been weighing me down.

The last thing I want is to break her heart and ruin our relationship but I can’t stand the idea of holding her back.

I feel so conflicted.

DEIDRE SAYS: It’s best to be honest as soon as possible. The last thing she deserves is to become even more involved and invested in your relationship not knowing how you feel about this. 

Unfortunately, marriage and kids are big life decisions that can rarely be compromised on.

Let her decide if this is a deal breaker for her or not. If it is, respect that she may choose to break up with you so that she can pursue a relationship with someone who has the same goals.