Almost every girl goes through the phase where they find their prince charming. They hope that one day their prince will rescue them from their reality.

I was one of those girls that felt that my prince charming is out there looking for me. The thought of a man loving me the way a prince does with his princess made me daydream every day of what he would look like. However, real life is not like a Disney movie.

People do not just come to your rescue and you fall in love right then and there. It is a messy situation. My past relationships made me realize why prince charming is harder to find than the movies show. Prince charming does not come until later on in life when things are either going great or going bad.

Prince charming will not show up at the right time. He shows up when you least expect it. Imagine you are at that point in your life where things may not be going the way you want. You could be trying to find yourself or just having fun.

Then “BOOM!” there he is. Standing nice and tall (or short. You never know) waiting for you just like you were waiting for him. So here are five things my past relationships taught me after realizing they were not my prince charming.

1. Do not let a pretty face fool you.

He can have a pretty face and show you that he is the most charming guy in the world. He treats you like a princess in the beginning. He takes you out on dates that make you feel like the best thing in the world. However, once he gets tired of you, all of it stops. He starts showing the real side of him.

2. You are better off without the abuse.

You stay with him because you love him. You may believe that he loves you too, but he keeps hurting you. The abuse can be physical, mentally, emotionally, verbally, or even sexually. After it all happens, he loves up on you and tells you that he did not mean to do it. Do not believe that lie. If he really cared, he would not stand to hurt you.

3. You are beautiful just the way you are.

You. Are. BEAUTIFUL. It should be a given that you know that. He should make you feel like the most beautiful girl in the world.

4. Do not change into his image that he creates

DO NOT CHANGE FOR HIM. If he does not like what he sees in you, then why be with him? He will create an image in his head of you that he likes. He will put you down until you finally change for him. Leave him when he starts doing that. Do not change for him.

5. Love yourself before you love him.

Love yourself. The more you love yourself the more that you will see that his love is not real. Fall in love yourself than falling in love with him.

Every girl deserves a happy ending. Do not settle for less. Fall for the man that makes you feel beautiful every day. Fall for the man who makes you feel like a princess. Fall for the man that even during an argument, he still loves you and makes sure he does not say something to hurt you.

Fall for the man who cries just at the thought of you leaving. He is out there. He is waiting for you. Just take the time to wait for him. I did. And he has been the biggest blessing in the world.