History Main / DifferingPrioritiesBreakup

** A few months later Mike decides there is no reason good enough to keep him from spending her life with her and asks for her to take him back, this time with marriage on the table. [[spoiler:She does, and they marry a few episodes before the GrandFinale.]]

* In ''WesternAnimation/Ducktales2017'', Scrooge and Goldie have [[SlapSlapKiss great chemistry]], all the same interests, and the same obsession with treasure. As with so many relationships, theirs is ruined by the details; Goldie only cares about [[AffablyEvil achieving her ends]], while Scrooge is [[MrViceGuy concerned with the means]].

'''Robin:''' And I probably want to be in Argentina. [...] Or Tokyo, or Paris. Ted, I don't know where I'm gonna be in five years. And I don't want to know, I want my life to be an adventure.\\

* In ''Series/{{Supergirl}}'', Alex and Maggie are on the verge of getting married when they realize that while Maggie doesn't want kids, Alex does. Alex decides to give up on having kids for the relationship, but then when she and Kara [[HonoraryUncle go to Samantha's daughter's recital]] she realizes she can't make that sacrifice.

[[folder:Video Games]]
* Inverted in the non-Katherine endings of ''VideoGame/{{Catherine}}''. Vincent's girlfriend Katherine breaks up with him for non-priority reasons (Vincent cheated on her with the titular Catherine while drunk[[spoiler:, or so they think]]), but he can choose not to win her back because of his life goals. In the non-Katherine endings, he decides that her ideal route of settling down to a stable life isn't what he wanted, and runs off to [[spoiler:space as a tourist, or marry Catherine and usurp Nergal as Lord of the Netherworld]], depending on the ending.

Compare LoveCannotOvercome, CreativeDifferences, ItsNotYouItsMe and ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies.

Compare CreativeDifferences, ItsNotYouItsMe and ItsNotYouItsMyEnemies.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Riker and Troi in the backstory. They had a happy love affair when he was stationed on her homeworld, but he took a posting elsewhere that advanced his career while she felt she had to stay on the homeworld at the time. She later left the homeworld, enlisted, and became a ship's counselor. Queue one very awkward moment when the ''Enterprise's'' new XO walks in and sees his ex-girlfriend as the ship's counselor.

* [[Literature/TheDresdenFiles Harry Dresden]] spends twelve books playing WillTheyOrWontThey with Karrin Murphy. Both of them are attracted to each other, they're close allies, and Harry at least erupts with jealousy whenever he sees Murphy with anyone else. But Harry wants someone to settle down with, while Murphy's not in a place in her life for anything beyond casual encounters. They finally come to a decision, and [[spoiler:barely two minutes before TheyDo someone [[ShootTheShaggyDog puts a bullet in Harry's head]].]]

* In ''Fanfic/AmazingFantasy,'' MJ divorces Peter not because he wouldn't have a child with her (they have one Mayday Parker), but because she grew tired of worrying about him not dying on every superhero adventure and his inability to ignore his ChronicHeroSyndrome long enough to be a father and a husband.

* In ''Fanfic/AmazingFantasy,'' Peter divorces MJ not because he wouldn't have a child with her (they have one Mayday Parker), but because she grew tired of worrying about him not dying on every superhero adventure and his inability to ignore his ChronicHeroSyndrome long enough to be a father and a husband.

'''Ted:''' Honestly, in five years I probably want to be married.\\

** Richard, Monica's last serious boyfriend before marrying Chandler, broke up with her because she wanted children. Richard is twenty years older than her and already has two adult children and says he doesn't want to be in his seventies when his and Monica's kids go off to college and their life can finally begin. He eventually tells Monica he's willing to have kids with her if that's what it takes to keep her, but she says she doesn't want to have kids with someone who doesn't also want kids.
** In season nine, Phoebe and her boyfriend Mike decide to move in together, but then she learns he never wants to get married again after his messy divorce. She initially decides she is okay with, but breaks up with him after realizing she really does want to get married.

* ''Series/TheOfficeUS'': Towards to beginning of the series, Jan Levinson went through a messy divorce from her husband who refused to have children with her. According to her, they both got married knowing they had different ideas about family, but figured the other would change their mind.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Riker and Troi in the backstory. They had a happy love affair when he was stationed on her homeworld, but he took a posting elsewhere that advanced his career while she felt she had to stay on the homeworld at the time. She later left the homeworld, enlisted, and became a ship's counselor. Queue one very awkward moment when the ''Enterprise's'' new XO walks in and sees his ex girlfriend as the ship's counselor.
* ''Series/ThisIsUs'': Kevin wants kids, Zoe doesn't. Kevin tries to choose Zoe over having kids, but is clearly struggling with the decision, and Zoe decides she's asking too much of a guy who she believes would make a great father so she ends it for him.

* ''Series/StarTrekTheNextGeneration'': Hit Riker and Troi in the backstory. They had a happy love affair when he was stationed on her homeworld, but he took a posting elsewhere that advanced his career while she felt she had to stay on the homeworld at the time. She later left the homeworld, enlisted, and became a ship's counselor. Queue one very awkward moment when the ''Enterprise's'' new XO walks in and sees his ex girlfriend as the ship's counselor.

* Alice wants to eventually get married but Bob doesn't so they break up.
* Bob wants to have kids with his wife Alice but she doesn't, so they divorce.
* The above options overlap.

* In ''WesternAnimation/SpiderManIntoTheSpiderVerse'', this was why Peter Parker of Earth-616 got divorced from [[ComicBook/MaryJaneWatson Mary Jane]].

* In ''Series/{{Supergirl}}'', Alex and Maggie are on the verge of getting married when they realise that while Maggie doesn't want kids, Alex does. Alex decides to give up on having kids for the relationship, but then when she and Kara [[HonoraryUncle go to Samantha's daughter's recital]] she realises she can't make that sacrifice.

* {{Implied}} in the backstory of Film/{{Tron}} as far as Flynn and Lora. Flynn was in no hurry to grow up and take responsibility. Lora had completed her doctorate and was looking for stability while she focused on her career. Flynn is clearly not over her in the film, but Lora moved on with her eventual husband, Alan Bradley.

->'''Ted:''' Where do you see yourself in five years?
->'''Robin:''' Where do you see ''yourself'' in five years?
->'''Ted:''' Honestly, in five years I probably want to be married.
->'''Robin:''' And I probably want to be in Argentina. [...] Or Tokyo, or Paris. Ted, I don't know where I'm gonna be in five years. And I don't want to know, I want my life to be an adventure.
->'''Ted:''' ...we have an expiration date, don't we?

!!Examples

[[folder:Film -- Animated]]

-->''You'll get over this after a while, and find some lovely accomplished girl, who will adore you, and make a fine mistress for your fine house. I shouldn't. I'm homely and awkward and odd and old, and you'd be ashamed of me, and we should quarrel-- we can't help it even now, you see-- and I shouldn't like elegant society and you would, and you'd hate my scribbling, and I couldn't get on without it, and we should be unhappy, and wish we hadn't done it, and everything would be horrid!''

--->'''Phoebe:''' But I don't think I can! It was okay to move in when I didn't know what was gonna happen, but I can't move in knowing nothing is ''ever'' gonna happen.
--->'''Mike:''' Can't you at least ''try'' living together? I mean, you might change your mind about marriage.
--->'''Phoebe:''' Are you gonna change yours?
--->'''Mike:''' ...no.
--->'''Phoebe:''' Me neither. I...I think I need to be with someone who wants what I want.
*** A few months later Mike decides there is no reason good enough to keep him from spending her life with her and asks for her to take him back, this time with marriage on the table. [[spoiler:She does, and they marry a few episodes before the GrandFinale.]]

[[folder: Video Games]]

* In ''Series/{{Supergirl}}'', Alex and Maggie are on the verge of getting married when they realise that while Maggie doesn't want kids, Alex does. Alex decides to give up on having kids for the relationship, but then when she and Kara [[HonoraryUncle go to Samantha's daughter's recital]] she realises she can't make that sacrifice. Alex breaking down in Kara's arms as she realises her engagement is over is an absolute {{Tearjerker}}.

Alice and Bob are a crossroads. Alice has recently come out and admitted she eventually wants to settle down, get married, and have kids, while Bob doesn't want to be tied down in life. So now they have a decision to make: they can either stay together a few more years and then break up, or they can break up now and avoid wasting their time. They choose the latter. It's not that they no longer love each other, but they both know that if one of them gets their way the other will be unhappy. And thus they part.