he says he stills loves me but just wants to be "free"?

It's not necessarily a rebellious phase. Not everyone on this earth is happy in a monogamous relationship - the responsible thing for him to do is to be honest about that with you, which it sounds like he did. I know it hurts to hear it.

Did he tell you that he wanted to break up with you, or that he just wants to be free to date other women as well? If it's the former, then you don't have much choice. If it's the latter, you need to decide whether you can be happy in a non-monogamous relationship.

I personally value monogamy, so if my SO were to say that to me I'd drop his *** right then and there.

On the surface, it sounds as though he's saying, "I love you, but I need my space. Give me that and I'll come back to you." Deep down, what he's saying is, "I love you but I need my space. Give me that so I can figure out I want to come back to you."

Obviously, you have no choice but to give him the freedom to roam. I guess it depends on how deep your relationship is (are you married?) and how his behavior was nearing this proclamtion and currently.

I am curious as to why you used the term "rebelling". That is normally reserved for someone you would be appropriate to try to control, such as a student, employee, or child.

Anyway, my ultimate suggestion is for you to take the time he is away, to do some self-reflection, and maybe seek some self/professional help through therapeutic outlets. Not only will this help you pass the time and heal from the hurt of the relationship halting and facing the possibility of it coming to an end, but maybe you will be able to pinpoint some of the behavior that could have provoked him to leave (yours and his).

You dont know if he is in love with you...

he may be saying that so you wont think he will be gone forever..

i think that you should let him go and do what he wants and if he comes back to you in the end then he really does love you but if he doesnt he never loved you and he was playing you and if you let him go itll be doing the right thing

If he wants to be free - then he doesn't know what true love is yet - true freedom is in giving yourself completely to another person - not going from chick to chick - there's no love in that whatsoever. So - sure keep with him if you like sharing - but if it's love you want - this is not his time, he probably needs 10 more years of maturity or more.

Waiting for his rebellious phase to come to an end is like waiting for me to lose 140 more pounds. It may eventually happen, but both of us are going to be WAY older!!!

Girl...please just get rid of him... Yes...he probably does still "love" you...however he is not "in love" with you anymore...b/c if that was the case he would not have told you he wanted to be FREE... Take it from me...if it is meant to be it will be no matter what happens...trust me!!! Go out...have fun...and don't pay him any mind...yeah...it is easier said than done...but you won't know til' you try....

He probably wants a small break so that he can decide how he feels... I know its really hard waiting for someone you love like that... With me its been hard as hell and Im worried that it might be the end for me... It probably isnt the same case for you though because with me I didnt give her enough space.

Please help me? I really need help badly!!!

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index;_ylt=ApI2B...

What does he mean by "free"?

Move on. Waiting for him is a mistake.

You never know what you might miss out on while you are wasting your time waiting for someone who isn't committed to you.

let go of him...for now anyway.

you know that phrase "if you want something, set it free"? well this is exactly what it means. you have to let him go and do his thing for the time being, and if he has any sense he'll come back to you after he realizes how stupid he was. if he doesn't, then you're better off anyway.

for the time being, go ahead and have some fun of your own. maybe you'll meet someone even better

if he wants to be free there is no stopping him and if you do let him go he will always be free really freedom is the only thing on a guys mind