Painful past relationships can cause us to feel uncertain about what may lie ahead. But is this uncertainty strong enough to cause us to fear the whole concept of marriage?

Most people carry emotional baggage into their next relationship, now if the previous relationship was filled with pain and hurt then the fear of the unknown would put anybody off the concept of marriage

YES. BUT THIS IDEA OF SHACKING UP WITH A MAN INSTEAD OF MARRIAGE CAN CAUSE A LOT OF PROBLEMS DOWN THE ROAD. WHEN A MAN DIES AFTER BEING IN A RELATIONSHIP WITH A WOMAN AND LIVING WITH HER FOR YEARS, A LOT OF THE TIMES SHE IS NOT ELIGIBLE TO RECIEVE SOCIAL SECURITY OR ANY OF HIS ESTATE VALUE. LIVING WITH A MAN AND HAVING A FAMILY WITH HIM IS A BAD IDEA.

The answer to that question is simple , in my case, Yes. I know I'm blocking any future relationships from happening in my life at this time in my life. For one reason, I know I'm not ready to marry again. Yes there have been offers in my life ,but I just don't know if I want to commit to another man. I guess to main reason for my feelings is fear. Fear of what my or my not happen in the relationship.

Another reason for me not wanting to commit or even try to be in a relationship is, right now I'm learning more about myself. I see this time as ME TIME. Time to get to know me and do things I always wanted to do, but due to children's needs and the needs of a man in my life I didn't do them.

I don't totally consider myself totally off the market, I'll think about an offer to date.

I believe that painful past experiences can cause a person to fear becoming involved because of the risk of getting hurt again. Sometimes getting hurt can make you shy away from getting deeply involved with a new person. However, that can also cause you to miss a wonderful opportunity, like a good marriage.

I was one of those women that stayed in a relationship with a man and did not want to marry him. I needed the financial support because I had already had 3 children with him and I knew he could not afford to help me if we lived apart.I made a mistake that ended up costing me lots of money down the road when I finally left. I will never make that mistake again and I am leary of even marrying at this point.

I know with me it does. I'm actually cared to enter into a relationship. I hear some much negativity about relationships in general and I'm like why even bother. BUT I'm started to realize that I'm hurting myself by not taking a chance.

anybody that gives up on finding the right person becasue of a bad previous relationship is missing out on what life could have in store for them. I was beaten by my boyfreind that I lived with for 6 years. I got out of the situation and found somebody that didnt treat me that way. The bad part is that I gave him a lot of money and even paid his bills instead of mine. I paid for that mistake later on so I will never do that again and I am happy to say that I am in a better relationship now.

Yes. Oftentimes, emotional wounds are harder to heal than natural ones, esp. if the emotional wounds are not dealt with so the healing process can begin. I know women who habitually entangle themselves in unhealthy relationships for FEAR of being alone (a warm body is better than no body, they say). Then when it ends, for whatever reason, they jump into another – failing to take that curative “ME” time for personal reflection and regrouping. The more failed relationships, the more wounds (and baggage). So when a good man comes along, they can’t even open up and truly see him for who he is. For FEAR of being hurt again, they “love at a distance” and won’t allow too much closeness (let alone marriage) because those wounds aren’t healed. The new is made to pay for the wrongs of the old, and he too ends up checking out. Another wound. For some, the wounds weren’t even caused by their own romantic relationships, but past hurts from familial ties. Some are even injured by association with a resentful sister.

All relationships (regardless of their nature) expose us to offenses. That’s the chance we take when we choose to allow people into our lives. Fear is a debilitating leech. Every woman should have “ME” time, esp. after a relationship ends. But don’t withdraw from meeting people & dating – might turn away true love.

I DO , I DO, I DO.
LOL
I believe this to be very true. Choices are really ours for the making, but they can ( the past) truly affect the future. It is important to wait and not rush into anything, re group, re do you. Make sure you are in that place: spiritually,emotionaly, physically,mentally, financially before embarking on anything new...failure to do so will rear it's ugly head ( like spoiled bananas)in a brand new relationship and that can hurt a any relationship, even marriage.