I walked downstairs the morning of my parents 24th wedding anniversary and saw a note that my dad had left in the kitchen for my mom that read, “Happy 24 Years, I love you!” The love between my parents has only grown stronger over the years and I feel so fortunate to have their love as an example for what to look forward to one day. And (un)fortunately for my future husband, they have set the bar pretty high.
When a married couple decides to have kids, they are making a commitment to be role models when it comes to relationships. The marriage they portray is going to be the expectation their children hold in their minds when it comes to relationship standards. Whether or not they are aware, kids pick up on this at a young age and will continue to notice it as they get older. The interactions between parents will establish an idea of love within the mind of a kid, and will likely influence the love they accept for themselves later in life.
My parents have been phenomenal role models when it comes to their marriage. They have shown what it is like to be married to your best friend. You may get annoyed with them, and some days you need your space, but you love each other at the end of the day regardless of whatever happened. Another thing my parents made sure of was to never fight in front of me and my siblings. I’m pretty sure my parents never even got into fights, maybe just small arguments, but nonetheless it was never in front of their kids. They always say “I love you” and do things for each other without complaining or asking questions. Even after 24 years they still manage to love each other, which is a pretty big accomplishment. Needless to say, they have set high standards for how I view relationships and I feel so blessed to have grown up in a house full of love.
In my opinion, one of the saddest things to see is when someone is settling for less than they deserve. If someone is being treated poorly, being lied to, or being taken advantage of, there is absolutely no reason why they deserve to put up with it. Yet, some of the reasoning behind that may stem back to the love they saw between their parents as they were growing up.
If they were conditioned to seeing fighting, lying and an unhealthy relationship, they could easily grow up and believe that all relationships are supposed to look like that. This is most definitely not the case for myself and that is why it is ridiculously important for parents to set high standards for love. Obviously marriages will not be perfect and love has its ups and downs, but adults need to work those problems out for themselves and not let it have an impact on their kids. Love is something that everyone deserves to look forward to, and parents are the first example we have when it comes to this.
So this is for all the parents who have set the bar high and given their children an example of a marriage to look forward to. Thank you for being role models of love and keep up the good work.
