I voted for 1-2 years. I see a year as the minimum before you get engaged. That gives you time to get to know each other and work out any 'kinks' before you make that commitment. But your situation is different. You already have a child with this man. You can talk to him about how great he is and why you want to be his wife. Maybe he'll explain why he's not ready. But don't try to nag him into marrying you. He'll feel pressured and that will put more of a strain on your relationship. But he sounds like a good man and you're raising a family together. You'll just have to be patient.