need some help with telling the family

I think the big issue here is not your family, but the fact that you think you're going to spend the rest of your life together when you haven't met yet!

I don't care how many emails or phone calls you've had; you can't possibly know that before you've met.

Is it possible he is the one? Yes, but it's also possible you could meet him and wonder why you were so excited.

It could be that you are just in love with the idea of finding the right one and are transferring those thoughts to this guy because he's who you're in touch with.

I can understand why your family is concerned.

I have to echo MrFlyer and MelinCali... and this echo is coming from someone who's been corresponding with a 3,000-(or more)-mile-distant match for 4 months because of he's been working overseas; we'll meet in a few weeks. We know we are very much "in like," but whether or not a relationship is going to result remains an unknown.

The only thing I can suggest to you is to say pretty much what Melinali already has: put things in proper perspective and keep them there... and clearly convey to your family that you do have this in its proper perspective. Unfortunately, this is likely to be difficult, since you've evidently already expressed otherwise, but give it a shot anyway. It's easy to get carried away in the early stages of things... show them that you're mature enough that you can step back and take a fresh look at things. Maybe make it your New Year's resolution--but stick to it!

And good luck...

Two red flags right away:

-- You think he's "the one", yet you've never actually met him. It's all too common for people to think that they have some great relationship with someone they've never met, only to find that that he's not quite who they'd imagined (this is inevitable, when you haven't met someone you fill in guesses of what they're like: some of those preconceived notions will be true, others not), or that there simply isn't that spark of connection in person.

-- You're just finishing college. Unless you're unusually mature for your age, you're still developing your own identity, figuring out who you are, what you want in life, and who would be a good match in a partner. Combined with your sky-high expectations for this meeting, I wonder if you're really grounded enough in your own identity to be contemplating such a serious relationship right now.

In short, your parents are right to be worried. I'm not telling you not to meet this guy, but you need to dial your expectations waaaay back. Think of this meeting as a chance to meet a really interesting person, but pay attention to who he is, not to the kind of relationship you're assembling in your head.

thanks for the advice. actually though i have not told them anything about how we feel about each other other than the fact that i think he is an amazing person and we have a lot in common based on the conversations we've had thus far. That's why it is so frustrating that they are completely closed to the idea simply because of his location and knowing that if things do work out with him I would be moving there and they do not want that. They want me to stay living close to them, regardless of what i want.