Let’s face it, relationships are hard.
They take constant effort, continual upkeep, and never-ending devotion.
At 27, I’ve been in a handful of relationships, but none of them have been longer than about a year and a half.
So much of what I know about relationships isn’t founded in the lessons that you learn after long-term love affairs.
I’m more familiar with the fights and the break-ups and the getting-back-together.
But what I have learned from my short and sweet relationships is that if you are going to make something last, you are going to need to commit everything you have to it.
There is no being-on-the-fence or considering other people as potential matches.
It’s got to be all or nothing.
For one little girl, she is convinced that she has found the one.
And his name is Jared.
But when she tries to tell that to her dad, he isn’t so happy to hear it.
As her mom films her, the little girl says to her apparent boyfriend, “Hi, Jared.”
When her mom asks who Jared is, the little girl answers with complete assurance, “My boyfriend.”
That’s when dad chimes in.
“You don’t have a boyfriend.” He says.
The little girl isn’t happy to hear this and she responds to her dad by telling him that she does in fact have a boyfriend.
But dad won’t budge on this one.
Once again, he tells her that she doesn’t have a boyfriend.
At her age, this news is a little crushing.
She starts to cry and consider the reality that maybe, just maybe, she doesn’t actually have a boyfriend.
She may very well be experiencing her first heartbreak.
But when her mom asks her why she’s crying, she brings back her strong reserve and explains to her mom what’s going on.
“Daddy says I don’t have a boyfriend.” She says.
“But you do have a boyfriend?” Her mom asks.
The little girl shakes her head, gaining more confidence.
“What’s his name?” her mom asks.
“Jared.” She responds, feeling sure of herself.
Her dad tries one last time to tell her that she doesn’t have a boyfriend but she won’t hear of it.
“I do,” she says while giving him her strongest look.
In the end, however, her dad seems to win the day as he reminds her, “You’re not allowed to have a boyfriend.”
This seems to get through to her and although she tries to tell him no, eventually she breaks down again.
Although this cute little girl is far too young to understand what having a boyfriend really means, based on how hard she fought for the boy that she likes shows that she’ll make a great girlfriend one day.
There’ll be no back and forth with her, no one-foot-in and one-foot-out.
This is good because according to McKinley Irvin, “42-45% percent of first marriages end in divorce.”
And if she doesn’t want to be a part of that statistic, then she’ll need that all-or-nothing attitude.
So if any of you out there are struggling with a relationship of your own, just remember this little girl.
Always give your relationship the effort that it deserves and don’t be afraid to fight for what you love.
Please SHARE this with your friends and family.
