For millennials, it's not uncommon to have friends who come from divorced parents. Divorce is no longer a rare phenomenon that plagues only an unfortunate few. However, what's it like to date someone who grew up being passed back and forth between the first two examples of love they ever knew? Children of divorced parents eventually grow into adults of divorced parents, but I'm here to tell you we are not broken or disabled. We have insight that those with moms and dads who are still together will never be able to grasp or understand. Our hearts work a little bit differently because we endured heartbreak at a much earlier age than the rest of the world. Yes, it's a wound, but it's also a medal of pure strength.

Here's why dating someone whose folks split at an early age might play a larger role in your relationship than you might think.

1. Commitment is scary - and not because we don't want to be faithful.
Whether infidelity was the reason why Mom and Dad ended it, or "irreconcilable differences" is simply what cut it short, we are afraid of relationships. We're cautious. We're skeptical. And, it's not because we don't want love. It's because we've seen love gone wrong. We saw our parents cry, argue and ultimately hurt. We don't want to push potential partners away, but it may take them a little more dedication to convince us they're in it for the long run. Once you have our trust, it's more than worth it.

2. We're realists and not much on fairy tales.
Spare us on the hopeless romantic text messages, flowers and cards. If Jack and Rose had made it off the ship together, their relationship would've crashed and burned because Jack was homeless and Rose was a spoiled brat. Reality is brutal. Love is not enough. We've seen what saves and ruins relationships. You'll win us over by being honest, intentional, and hardworking. We're big on communication and loyalty, and we can most likely detect your character and intentions pretty quickly. We're far from fragile because we saw and heard it all growing up, so give it to us straight. If you try to manipulate us, we'll know from the start. We left being naive with our childhood long ago.

3. Yes, we are callused and demanding, but it's because we aren't quitters. We had abnormally emotional childhoods, so not much phases us as adults. Between listening to all the arguments, the two different homes and adding on step-parents and siblings, we learned how to deal with stress and change pretty quickly. We may come off as expecting too much, but it's because we don't accept the weak. If we think you have more potential than what you're giving, we'll push you. If times are hard in our relationship, we'll do whatever it takes to make the adjustments. Our ultimate goal has become not doing what our parents did.

4. We don't expect perfection.
We know all the realities of marriage. You may lose your job. I may get a job offer out of state. There will be death and illness within our families. Maybe we won't be able to have a children. Maybe we'll have more than expected. You'll have your bad days and I'll have mine. We know dating won't be perfect. What will make you stand out to us is that, together, we will be able to navigate life issues hand in hand. We aren't looking for a flawless partner. We are looking for a best friend who will be immune to the inevitable obstacles of life. "For better or for worse" means something to us.

5. When we do fall in love, we fall in love hard.
Basically, love is not a joke to us. We don't see love as this unbreakable element like some Nicholas Sparks readers do. We know the harsh truths and the possible outcomes. If we dare to make this leap of faith for you, after all that we went through as kids that made us terrified of love, you are very special to us. We don't take it for granted. Our experiences as children have made us very wise and picky. If you've made the cut for someone who comes from divorced parents, consider yourself "the one."