I had a great conversation with my friend Liz the other night. She referred to my parents and the example they had set for me in life. Without me even knowing it, I have learned what a successful marriage looks like, what true partnership can accomplish, what a parenting team can do, and what a strong woman looks like. They are my blue print for life and lately I have taken the time to analyze this.

What do I see when I look at my parents? I see two equally dedicated, hardworking individuals. I grew up in a traditional home- my mom stayed home after the birth of my younger brother and my father worked full time in New York City. They each had a deep respect for each others’ roles in the house; neither could sustain themselves without the other and I say that in a positive way. My father could work full time knowing my mother was home with us, and my brother and I benefitted greatly from spending our days with our mother.

Despite their very different roles in the house, they were (and are) equally strong people who always had their own goals and interests outside of each other and their children. They were definitely a team when it came to parenting; I hardly remember them not being on the same page. They spoke the same language; in my opinion they both spoke “acts of service”. My mom cooked dinner every night, my dad wrote love haikus that the dog had been fed, my mom did the laundry, my dad would change the sheets on all the beds. All in all I was a witness to a great partnership; they had crafted a life and family together through dedication, compromise, support and love. Whether I realized it before or not, they have given me a road map for a successful partnership.

Like many things in life, when we take the time to reflect and think about what we need/want/desire, we find that we already know it. I know what I want in my relationships, it was modeled so perfectly for me already. I know what partnership is, and isn’t, and I know what to accept. Thank you Mom and Dad for teaching me so much; I just needed to be ready to hear and see it.

Damn, Mom was right again.

WTF did you miss before?