I don't really go into a relationship thinking of it as going to be short term. I plan on it for the long haul. Of course, breakups can happen. But like with my current, we agreed we didn't want to just fool around or stay together a few weeks/months and throw it away, we wanted something that would last. So, to me, long term doesn't mean necessarily how long we've already been together, rather the intention of being together forever.

A long relationship, isn't really defined by length of current relationships either, in my opinion. In a way, a few months can be a long time, but compared to other relationships, it may not be. But every day you're still together and happy is an accomplishment. We celebrate each month we are together, doing a nice dinner and everything, just to show that we appreciate having had another month spent with one another.

I have a friend who constantly says things like "when you're married as long as I have been then you can say you know what it's like to REALLY know someone"...she's been married for 7 years. My parents, married for 51 in a few months, still don't know each other very well. So length of time, to me, depends on the couple and how you view it. And I know my guy who I've known for just over a year, better than she knows her husband and he knows her, too. So, again, all about the couple.

I think this is a good point - "longterm" will differ depending on what age bracket you're looking at. A year isn't much when you're older, but it's a lifetime when you're a teenager. For me, it's sort of an outlook thing at the one year stage. I've been with my boyfriend for over a year now, and I consider it longterm in part because we're planning for it to be longterm. More objectively, I think anything over three years is longterm (I'm sure that number will grow as I get older )

I'd actually have to agree with you. I'm only 23, so I'm still young, however, I do think that a year is a shorter-term relationship. But at the same time, I've seen people just zip right through things in just a few months, so among the people I have known in the past, something over about 6 months is nearly a miracle.

Hmm, what your professor said can actually be really true.

The other night, in fact, my girlfriend said she was afraid that her feelings for me hadn't progressed to the level that mine are at. I told her that it was one because I'm more open with my romantic feelings than she is and I'm okay with her being slower at it because I know she cares for me. She doesn't have to say it because I can feel it in other ways, like how she looks at me, and how even though she hates it when people cry, she immediately comes to my "rescue" when I start crying. I told her that sometimes it just takes time and that it doesn't hurt me at all.

oh dear lord, tell me about it!

I didn't ever really get into relationships in high school but I watched so many of my friends get with people and say they were in love after a week or two or even after a few days. I wanted to smack all of them.

That's very true about number two!

Well said! I feel the same - I had a relationship in high school that lasted over three years, and people would refer to us jokingly as "married," etc. We were one of the longest established relationships in school, and I definitely thought of it as long term. My current relationship is still less than a year old, but I still think of it as long term because of our intent.
However, I realize that I'm a college student and my perspective on all of this may shift dramatically over time.