I can recall being a little girl and dreaming of my Prince Charming. I could never make out his face. It was always rather fuzzy. I knew he would be tall, strong and that he would really love me. Fast forward to the present day and I have exactly what I dreamt of, well kind of. My husband is tall, strong and he really loves me. That being said, he is not perfect, certainly no Prince Charming. He is kind, he is good and he would do anything for his family.

As a child, I was exposed to Disney movies. Classic fairy tales such as Snow White, Cinderella, and Sleeping Beauty. No doubt if you are a female you remember having a favorite princess, or if you have a little girl like I do, you definitely know who her favorite princess is. My little one loves Ariel from the Little Mermaid. Little girls have been dreaming in Disney for generations now.

Let’s really consider what Disney is teaching our little girls. Most of these animations have some sort of Prince Charming for the lead female character: Aladdin for Jasmine, “The Prince” in Snow White, “Prince Charming” in Cinderella, “Prince Phillip” in Sleeping Beauty, “The Beast” in Beauty and the Beast who turns into a Prince. If your familiar with the stories all the characters are in some sort of trouble and at the end they are rescued by their prince and they live happily ever after. Or do they?

In reality we marry “the one” and things get REAL very fast! We realize we come from completely different families, we have things in common but there are also lots of things we don’t have in common. Having to merge families can be difficult. I think of how I want my family treated and that’s how I treat his family. It takes a while but if you are lucky and have in laws who love you like I do, they eventually become your family as well. Finances are always a big factor in many couples’ lives. It’s the thing we fight the most about! Sometimes we handle arguments differently. Some of us like to yell while others prefer to deal with things calmly. The first year of marriage is the most difficult year. That’s when you kind of wake up and freak out! Then you feel a bit settled until you add a child into the mix and that rocks your relationship once again! Years go by, the newness and romance fades and we settle into a comfortable lull…that can get b o r I n g! You question your love over and over again. Here is the thing, if you really love each other you make it work. You have to communicate what it is that you want from each other. You have to make the time to go on dates with your spouse and bring back the fun. Life is difficult and it’s nice to have a partner to share the ups and downs of life.

My love is a sweet, kind amazing human being. He is also a wonderful father. In the eleven years that we have been married he has never raised his voice to me. He has never called me names. He has supported me, loved me, and loved my family as if they are his own. I feel the same about my in laws. It’s a blessing to have more family to love and be loved by. My husband continues to try to give me the things that matter to me. He continues to strive to be my Prince Charming. I am an independent woman who is strong, intelligent, loud and opinionated. I am not so easy to live with. It takes a real confidant man to be my partner! He has to put his ego aside in order to be my husband. I feel blessed to have a kind, loving husband. I don’t believe in anyone saving me. I don’t believe in happy endings. Life is what you make of it. It should be two complete people joining forces to form a family. Each one of us have to have our own interests, goals and aspirations. Each one of us have to push, respect, support and cheer for the other. That’s what I’ll teach my daughter.
So I’ll save him and he’ll save me.
Happy anniversary to the most amazing husband ever! I love you!