Parents in Love ~ 121 Dating Ideas

What a Broken Heart…And a Four-Year-Old Child…Can Teach Parents About Falling in Love with Each Other Forever…

To make your family strong, romance is the key

Dear Fellow Parent

You may be surprised to learn that by the time I was only four years old, a very special person in my short life...one of my own parents...had already deeply disapointed me.

Like all children, from a very early age, I carefully watched my parents...what they did together, how they spoke to one another, even how they touched each other...just like your kids watch you.

Late one afternoon, as I walked down the hallway to the den, I saw my Dad, sitting in his recliner as he usually did, reading his daily newspaper. I started to walk over to his chair, but then I saw my Mom moving toward him from the kitchen, the slightest trace of a smile gracing her lovely face, her pretty print housedress rustling slightly as she walked.

I paused just outside the door and watched them.

Mom leaned down and gave Dad an affectionate and tender hug, then brushed her lips gently across his forehead as she stood up. I held my breath, silently praying they wouldn't see me and waited in delicious anticipation for my father's response.

But Dad just kept on reading his newspaper as if nothing had ever happened.

At that exact moment...right before dinner on a Sunday afternoon, my young heart saddened. I had so longed to see my Dad hug my mother back, to return just a little of the affection and respect she so obviously had for him.

It never happened.

I vowed right then, standing and looking at my mom's sad face as she walked slowly back to the kitchen to finish making dinner; I would never, ever get married. You see, I never wanted to experience the awful rejection that I had silently witnessed on that Sunday afternoon.

As the years passed, Dad reminded mom that he was king of his castle, the commander...the chief. And day after day, she continued to run the household, cooking our meals, washing our clothes, cleaning the floors...

By the time I was ten, I had already picked a fight with every boy in my fifth grade. In my little girl mind I thought, "I'm never 'gonna' let one of these dumb bunny boys boss me around."

The years flew by.

At 18, I entered the convent...six years later, I left.

Over all those years, the question that always tugged at the back of my mind and that I longed to have answered was this...

"Can couples really stay in love and live fulfilling lives together?"

Then one day, when I least expected it, my entire world turned upside down. A wonderful, gentle, and strong young man named Jim came into my life and I was struck by that thunderbolt called love.

Married now for 40 years, I finally know the answer to my question.

In case you don't know who I am, my name is Jean Tracy and for more than 20 years I've worked as a professional marriage and family counselor with countless couples who are looking to rekindle the flame of romance and reignite their passion for one another.

My passion is to help couples who are also parents...perhaps a parent just like you, to strengthen your commitment to your partner, to assist you in learning how to solve problems together, to teach you to truly value each other and take mutual responsibility for your relationship…

Plus show you how you can experience a closeness that you would never have believed possible...develop a rock-solid security in your marriage providing a safe, nurturing, stable environment for your children...an environment where every member of your family can grow and find fulfillment, not only as members of the family unit, but as the unique and precious individuals you are.

I wrote "Parents in Love ~ 121 Dating Ideas" for you. Inside you'll find the keys to creating romance in your marriage and making your family strong.