This Valentine’s Day ask yourself… will your relationship stand the test of time? Young people are very impulsive when it comes to love and relationships. Trust me, I was once a young bird a very long time ago. I remember having a new boyfriend every summer. And, as Lisa Stansfield said it best ‘I’ve been around the world’- I did not discriminate! I dated guys from Algeria, Guernsey, Italy and so on. Life was one big party. What else is there in life when you’re in your 20’s?
I was the sort of girl who lived for a good time. I was the life of the party. I never had to pay an entry fee or wait in line at any club in Manhattan. I was the ‘it’ girl back in my time. Men wined and dined me. I was drinking exquisite martini when kids my age who lived in the Village were drinking Pabst Blue Ribbon on draught for $1. However, I was like every small town girl who was raised with a small town mentality of ‘I need a man.’
I wanted to find a steady boyfriend, settle down, get married and have kids. But, did I really want all of that? No one tells you how marriage is so uncompromisable. Nor do they tell you how difficult it is to raise children especially these days when families live further and further away from each other.
Girls and perhaps some boys are pushed to hurry up and get married before they turn 30. But, why? So, they could throw the rest of their life down the drain? So they could stop living their dreams? So they have to get up at 6 o’clock in the morning when children usually peek through their parents door instead of sleeping to a mere luxury 9 o’ clock?
Why do we rush into relationships? What ever happened to the casual dating scene? One thing that I wish I could do all over again is date more. I don’t want to say regret. I don’t ever regret anything I’ve ever done- as stupid as it may have been at the time. Well, maybe that one thing…
Edith Piaf, one of my most favourite artists, sang ‘Non, je ne regrette rien’ and I do live my life by those words. However, one thing that is really difficult to project when you’re in the midst of lust, young and in love, is if ‘this’ relationship will stand the test of time. It is one of the most difficult things to predict at any age, really. But there are a three tips that might help you on your way.
Go to page two to see my three tips to create a good relationship: