When my husband grabs our sons amidst shrieks of delight and tackles them with love and outlandish wrestling maneuvers en route to bed my heart wants to jump out of my body and do the happy dance.
He is their hero. I love that they get that. But he was mine first, even if it took me a while to figure that out.
My husband is not tall. He is, however, dark and handsome. But that’s where his resemblance to the Prince Charming of my favorite books and movies ends. It’s not that I expected him to swashbuckle, ride a horse or sport a suit of armor. My newly-married Prince Charming expectations were more subtle than that.
It’s taken me years to unravel and escape them.
I expected that a husband would intuit what I was thinking without needing to be told. I sulked when he couldn’t figure out what I wanted him to do and then sulked some more when he didn’t understand why I was sulking. I resented his inability to understand my whims. And no matter what his own day was like I expected he would arrive home when the mood occurred to me just in time to sweep me off my feet with flowers and candlelight.
I did not expect all the extra dirty socks and dishes.
Keep reading with me over at the lovely Sarah Mae’s “Like a Warm Cup of Coffee” where I am guest posting today. See you over there – hopefully in the comments section (BIG GRIN)!
heading over, I love the beginning…
Hey Terra – thanks for coming over with me. And in case you missed it, I left a reply to your comment:
You?re sweet. Actually he pointed out to me that when I came to share the post with him he was actually folding laundry. Now there?s the definition of romantic in my book!
Ooo!! I’m on my way! The beginning has me hooked!
(And for what it’s worth, my husband is also my Prince Charming. Although far from what I’d imagined in my dreams, he is as perfect as they come.)
Thanks Jac! And in case you missed it, I replied to the great comment you left over there – “When I was first married I could have won the Olympic Gold medal in sulking!” Not my proudest accomplishment!
hey lisa-jo- great post. I tweeted this post, directing to SarahMae’s blog.
Lisa-Jo – what a great post! yes, the real drama begins at home, off the silver screen. It is still hard to verbalize, esp. when a perfectly romantic moment hits me, but it’s darting past my Prince Charming. ;) But, I figure, he’ll learn over time. And he has. slowly… LOL.
Thank you for the tweet props! I was just reading your fascinating interview with Jon Acuff and so enjoyed the questions you asked him. They were real, not pat. And his answers were just as interesting.
As for our Prince Charmings – yes, I think they, like us, are a work in progress!
LOVED THIS POST! You had me grinning from ear to hear, nodding my head in agreement, laughing, crying, laughing some more!
Hugs,
Traci
Thanks! It’s so encouraging to hear that others can relate. I felt like a bit of a dufus writing out my idiotic Prince Charming expectations. So your comment is balm to my silly soul!
Yeah I LOVED it too… so well written and expressed. In fact, it so happens that I needed it today, but not with my hubby but with a friend. I tend to think and act like a male at times, and my friend is exasperated with my desire to connect and lack of actual attempt to connect. Good reminder and challenge for me – thanks so much.
So sweet, such a loving and real tribute. It was fun to read…..thanks. P.S.I’m following you :)
Hi! Just wanted to read the rest of the article, but when I clicked over to the other blog it wasn’t there and I can’t find it by searching her blog or looking in the archives. Is there a way I can read the rest? Just curious. Thanks!
Hello, I just came across your page here, and wanted to take a second to let you know I was truly touched by your posts. I really love ” 100 Things to teach a girl”, I too have two boys, and my youngest is a girl. She has changed my life forever. Not that my boys aren’t just as important to me, but the bond and love I feel towards my daughter, and the feeling that I need to protect her so much from the world. She was born so much a girl, very feminine. I was more of a tom-boy growing up, as an only child.
Anyway, I very much identify with your words on motherhood, marriage, the unrealistic expectations of marriage we tend to have growing up and so forth. I look forward to reading your book, and more of your posts.
Thank you for doing what you do, so well!!
Stormie