Six Reasons I Want a Marriage Like My Parents'

A real man never stops trying to show a women how much she means to him, even after he’s got her.

My sweet parents will celebrate their 60th anniversary on New Year's Eve. Daddy always told us he married Mom to get a tax deduction. However those of us who were blessed to be their children, neighbors, or friends know there's much more to their story than tax breaks. I don't think it's a coincidence that my brother, sister, and I have healthy and happy marriages. 

Here are a few reasons I want a marriage like theirs.

1. They liked each other. That may seem to be a given, but I've known husbands and wives who may have loved each other but really didn't seem to like their spouse very much. Daddy likes Mom's artsyness and encouraged her to take classes, join the Art Guild, and made sure she had the art supplies she needed. 

2. They like to be together. Mom would go to a Tupperware party during the day but made it a practice never to go to one in the evening when Daddy was home. Evenings were for family.   

3. Daddy and Mom didn't argue, fight or speak ugly to one another. If they disagreed, it was in private. We didn't hear them speak sarcastically to each other either. We did, however, catch a spontaneous kiss. We raced Mom to the door to see who got the first kiss when Daddy got home from work. They scheduled little honeymoons and weekends away. 

4. Daddy and Mom respected each other.  I'm sure Mom's friends never heard her speak unkindly about Daddy, and neither did my siblings and I. She respected the man he was, the provider he was, and the Christian he was. Always. Even in the first few years of their marriage before Daddy was a Christian, Mom honored him as the head of their home. 

5. Daddy was involved in our everyday life. In a day when women and men's chores were distinctly divided, Daddy helped us get ready for church on Sundays and assisted Mom with some of the domestic duties. They taught me marriage was teamwork. 
  
6. Church was a priority for my parents. They went to church together, spent their time, finances, and talents to serve. They have carted children, handicapped adults, and the elderly to church week after week, often on snow-covered Pennsylvania mountain roads.  It was the foundation they chose for their own lives, for their marriage, and for our home.

After 60 years they still hold hands, share a hug and kiss before one of them leaves the house, and share the same God. Is it any wonder parents continue to be my Marriage Model?