Better Together

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Our wedding day!

Today is my 5th wedding anniversary. When I was a little girl, I loved to play “house” and dream of the day when I would get married and have children – I never imagined it would be quite like this. Gone are the days of staying out late and hanging out in front of the TV for hours. Now my husband and I are juggling how to handle 4-month-old twins, a toddler, and a new business…oh and our French bulldog, who always seems to get shafted nowadays. Wait – Who fed the dog today?

Instead of giving gifts to celebrate our anniversary, we write a letter to one another every year. We had to do this as part of our marriage preparation. It was so meaningful that I suggested we continue doing it each year. Surprisingly my husband agreed (he’s not the love letter type).

I like to use this opportunity to reflect on the past year and our accomplishments as a couple. Having children puts a strain on any marriage. You can get so caught up in caring for your children’s needs that you can easily become distracted from what your partner needs. It is so important to keep the spark alive.

Every anniversary letter, I write about the things I love about my husband. Also, each letter ends with the phrase, “We are always better together” (our wedding song by Jack Johnson). Parenting can quickly become a bit of a competition if you allow it to. Who changed the most diapers? Who cleaned up after dinner? Who woke up at 3:30 a.m. to get a baby back to sleep? Who has mastered the best technique for swaddling?

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…5 years later!

It may seem like I should take over…because mommy does everything best, but I know parenting is a team effort. Who cares if my husband burps the babies differently or puts my daughter in her brother’s outfit after a blowout. All that matters is my husband helps and participates in the day-to-day grind of parenting. He often has to remind me that we are on the same team.

No one can parent alone. Whether you have a partner, friends, or close family nearby, you are always better together than by yourself. On this anniversary, I would like to thank my husband for sticking by me even if I’ve become the biggest nag in the world – hey, admitting you have a problem is the first step.

I wouldn’t be where I am today without him! And I can’t wait to see where our lives will take us because I know we will always be better together.

Who makes you a better person? What special things do you do to celebrate your anniversary?

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Michelle
Michelle is the Owner and Editor of Fairfield County Mom and Westchester County Mom. She has spent her entire life in Fairfield County, growing up in Norwalk and now residing in Fairfield, CT. Michelle married her husband, Chris, in October 2008. Before motherhood, she thought she was busy, but now life with her son Shane (March 2011), twins, Blake and Brynn (June 2013), Hank the Lab, and Bruce the Frenchie; the meaning of hectic has been redefined! Michelle is also a working mom, teaching third grade at a local public school. When she’s not making lists, chauffeuring the kids, and doing laundry, Michelle enjoys standing along the sidelines cheering on her kids, lounging with a good book, eating dark chocolate, and sipping on some tequila.

2 COMMENTS

  1. Happy Anniversary, Michelle! Thank you for sharing your sweet tradition with us. And you’re not alone being a “nag’- I have been apologizing for that quite a bit lately too! 🙂

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