A Royal Wedding: Is Happily Ever After Possible?

While Princess Di and her prince parted ways in 1992 and divorced in 1996, thousands upon thousands of American brides try to create their own fairytale weddings. (Interesting—and astounding—fact: The average wedding in the United States clocking in at $25,700 in 2017.)

How can we help our children—girls and boys—have a realistic view of what happily ever after looks like? Here are 8 ways we can all help our children develop healthy attitudes toward marriage.

1. 1. Show that you love your spouse. Do you tell your husband that you love him … in front of the kids? Do you steal a kiss from your wife…in front of the kids? Do you spend time with your spouse just because you love him or her? That’s what I mean by showing your children that you’re still in love with your spouse.
   2. Model healthy conflict resolution. We live in an imperfect world, which means that husbands and wives fight. Unfortunately, we don’t see Cinderella and Prince Charming arguing over who’s going to mop the kitchen floor. So instead, we should show our children how to resolve conflict in a healthy way—without name calling, being willing to say you’re sorry, making amends, and changing your attitude when necessary.
   3. Don’t undermine your spouse. You should support your spouse in his or her decisions, especially when related to child-rearing. If your wife doesn’t discipline like you think she should, don’t say so in front of the kids. If your husband can’t put the dress on the baby the right way, don’t belittle his efforts. Even when you disagree, don’t air your disagreement in public because most of the time, you’re not doing it for the good of the other person.