Biological Clock

"You're biological clock is ticking." This statement has been around for ages warning single women that they need to find a man. Of course originally it was based entirely upon having children. Most women are best able to have children in their 20s and early 30s. Once you hit a certain age it becomes much more difficult. But the statement has expanded beyond just children. Today it defines when it is proper for heterosexual couples to get together and marry. If a straight woman reaches 30 and is still single, having never been previously married, she is often looked at rather askance, and people begin to wonder if maybe she is a lesbian. The maxim has worked for generations to define the age at which you need to start worrying about the fact that you are single.
But we live in a different time. The age has been getting later and later. Once it was normal for a 16 year old girl to be married. Today most of us would call that crazy and I would guess most wait until around 20 or so. But even still it is not considered unusual for couples to be married in their late 20s. (This is all discussing first marriages of course). But where do gay people fit in? With the destruction of yet again one more potential relationship for me, I find myself asking what the biological clock is for a gay man. When should I begin to worry? I have to admit that many of the signs are troubling. I am a 25 year old gay man who has never been in a long term relationship. I have had boyfriends, 2 to be exact, but neither lasted more than a month. This is not because I haven't wanted a LTR. Since they day I came out it is what I have wanted, but it has always eluded me. The right guy has only rarely come along, and always at the wrong time. For instance as you can read in other posts, the right guy came along just recently, but he was just getting out of a relationship and is still grieving the loss of his ex, and has cut off contact because he says knowing I care for him when his ex doesn't makes it hurt more. There are other examples, but this is the most recent. I swear that whatever Fate is in charge of love has some sort of personal vendetta against me and is seeking to break my soul. To turn me into a jaded man by dangling potentially wonderful relationships in front of me, only to have them snatched away before they can bear fruit.
So this lack of a LTR has begun to worry me. Most other people my age have had such relationships. The guy for instance I like just got out of an 11 month relationship, and he had another before that. My only consolation is that in the end its not really about how many relationships that you have, but how long the last one lasts. I think of a previous guy I liked who is still my friend today who had a couple LTR in his twneties, each lasting several years. But none worked out. Only the one that began when he was 36 seems to be a keeper. So I wonder if perhaps I am skipping the failed relationships? But can they really be skipped? I am constantly afraid that I will meet the one, but having never been in a relationship I will mess things up since I don't have the practice of being in a relationship.
So that brings me back to the pivotal question. What is the proper age for a gay man? I see constant signs of guys who only found each other in their thirties. Do I really have to wait that long? And my biggest worry...will I ever find the LTR that lasts a lifetime? So often I see guys who have been together for 6, 7, 8 years breaking up. 8 years! That just seems like such a huge investment to end it. And how can it take 8 years for you to realize they aren't the one? I can only speculate since I cant even make it to 2 months. So should I be worried? Is 25 old to be this inexperienced? Am I too picky? Should I approach this like a career and just date someone knowing they won't be the one I stay with forever, but just so I have the experience and when potential suitors ask me in the future how long my longest relationship has been, there won't be an uncomfortable silence? I am at a loss. Losing an entire generation of gay men to AIDS in the 80s has left those of us in my age range without guidance. What is our norm? When should I begin to worry? Does anyone really know or are we all just still figuring it out?