As Valentine’s Day approaches, I wanted to remind you all to never settle for a love lesser than what you deserve. Every little girl dreams of the moment she is going to meet her prince charming, when in reality he probably isn’t that charming and definitely is not a prince. However, my parents have a love story that I prefer over any fairytale because it is real and it is so cute. My parents met when my mom was 16 and my dad was 25, which at the time was not nearly as bad of an age difference as it sounds now a day. My mom was a part-time employee at my dad’s family business, and after her first day on the job my dad wanted to get her attention before someone else did. And so, he pulled her into his office to ask her out, and she said yes. 32 years later and they’re still together, happy as ever.
Now, when I say together, I don’t mean that they are just married, I mean that for the past 25+ years, my parents have been together almost 24/7, all 365 (sometimes 366) days of the year. They sit on the couch after they go to the same job together, they prepare meals that they sit around the table and eat together, they go to the store to get things that they will later use together, they drive in the same car to work where they share an office together—do you see what I am saying? They are with each other nonstop. They go on business trips and to conventions together. Like, do you not get sick of each other? I get sick of myself after spending too much time alone; I don’t get how they do it. However, I admire them immensely for their commitment and long-lasting love. I hope one day that I have what they have.
It is because of the relationship my parents have with one another that I hope one day I will be as happy with my significant other. However, knowing boys these days and with my luck, it’s doubtful I’ll even get a dog to like me. Back to the point of my parents, I think they are an excellent example of how we should not be settling for love when a relationship as amazing as my parents’ is waiting for us. I refuse to settle for someone who is unwilling to love my needy, emotional, hot mess self at any and all hours of the day. I’m sorry, but I value and love myself too much to have someone “put up” with me, they need to love me as much if not more than I do, which is A LOT; but they have to be able to do it because that is what my parents do for each other. So ladies, and gentlemen, don’t accept the love you think you deserve, but know the love that you do and accept nothing less.
It is all too often that people are put into abusive relationships, whether it be emotional, mental, or physical abuse; it is not love, but sometimes we may pass it off as such. The world needs to stop doing this. People need to feel safe and loved, not pain and hate. There is better out there in this world for you than an abusive relationship. Be brave and be strong, and you’ll find where you belong; and someone will be waiting to give you the love you deserve when you get there. There is no better feeling and no better state of mind, then when you are in love with the right person. And probably the most important take away: love is not difficult, unless you make it difficult.
My parents fell in love with each other the same day they met, and they knew that. It is crazy to think that just one moment, one conversation, one look, made them know. The story of how they met is honestly a fairytale. A fairytale that I’ve only tasted as their child, but now crave for myself because I know from seeing how happy they are, that is what I want. However, until then, my current attitude on life is: