BF cried when I said "I love you" after a year!

[all alone]

If you had't started a relationship with him yet, I would probably suggest that you take it slowly with him. Given that you have been with him for a year, it seems that you have been pretty good at dealing with his baggage. I would continue as you are now, leaving him a little bit of room..

I think this outburst of emotion has more to do with a rush of feelings at a particular instant then his ability to maintain such a relationship. That being said however, if you feel like he isn't improving or the situation is becoming more problematic, i would consider an alternative strategy.

[SirWagginston]

It sounds more like he cried from a weird kind of happiness than from sadness. Sometimes people want to hear something so badly that they can't keep their composure when they finally do. I've had a girl say something to me like that, before, although I stopped short of crying. For me it was that I couldn't believe someone cared about me so much. I tend to bottle my actual emotions, and when the realization cracked my shell I was unsure of how to respond.

[Lulu]

HAHAHAHA!!! Are you kidding me? So let me get this straight- he is traumatized over his ex and the whole "I love you" phrase, you tell him you LOVE HIM- and now YOU are considering breaking up with him or backing off??! WTF? Poor guy! Isn't this ironic? Really? If you've been with him a year, told him you love him (and hopefully meant it), it blows my mind that a week later you would consider dumping him because he displayed emotional vulnerability toward you back. Poor guy....

[doppelgaenger]

I think my gf and I have been saying "I love you" since the day we started seeing each other, almost two years ago...

[1337lizard]

Wow...well I'm going to say don't take anyone's advice on this one. Everyone seems to have a different idea of what's going on and the conflicting opinions make me think that there isn't enough information for anyone to give credible advice. It's a touchy situation.

EDIT: I also agree with Lulu's opinion though. Telling a guy I love you then breaking up a week later is...not cool.

[chocolateorange]

Thank you all for your input. I didn't break up with him and I certainly don't want to. I'm just wondering if I should give him a bit of space. His baggage is hard on me but it only really comes out when things start getting serious. It's as if he is afraid of getting too close to me because of the potential consequences.

[chocolateorange]

I think you're right - all_alone, sirWagginston and lulu - I shouldn't look at his emotions as a negative sign towards his feelings for me, but rather an indication of a rush of emotion at a particular instant. I think maybe what is best is if I hang in there with him and try to help him gain confidence again in himself. I can't let the negativity from his past relationship get in the way of us loving each other. Thank you all!