Yes, by all means, marry this guy, and enjoy your life of working full-time to pay the bills and coming home exhausted every evening to find the apartment a wreck and him getting dressed for his night shift at Chili's, and he's sorry but he didn't have time to pick up the pizza boxes because he was trying all day to beat the second Favela level on Veteran on Call Of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, but guess what, he finally beat it (high five!) and he celebrated by buying this sick speaker set he saw on CNet for only $299--yeah, he knows money is tight but you guys really need some better speakers, and you just can't pass up a deal that good--and he paid $40 extra for overnight shipping so they'll get here before the party this weekend, and, hey, don't forget you gotta take him to work because he lost his license and then pick him up when he gets off at 12:30. I don't think age is your guy's problem; your age difference isn't that big. I think he's a slacker. Yeah, he's young, but the behavior you describe isn't typical of most 22-year-olds, at least not ones I've ever known. I think of 22 as the age when you've just finished college and are starting your career (or trying to). Or, if college wasn't in your plan, at 22 you've been working full-time for several years and have a good position and make decent money. Is your boyfriend in school? Why does he only work part-time? Is he looking for a full-time job? That's kinda hard to do when you sleep all morning and play video games all afternoon. His lack of ambition wouldn't be as big a deal if you weren't talking about marriage. I wouldn't be in a rush to do that if I were you. He's a boy, not a man, and I'm referring to maturity, not age. Yes, you can and should nudge him, although I don't know how much good it will do. You can't nudge someone into having ambition and drive. People do grow up and change, but drastic change is rare. Not impossible, but rare. To me, self-motivation is more a personality and character issue than an age issue. My advice to you is to ease up on the marriage talk until you know this guy a little better and can get a more clear glimpse of what life will be like if you marry him. Thanks for the question.