Kobe’s fairy godmother, Spamderella, wrote something in her blog about “singleness and coupledom”. I find it very interesting that I can’t resist answering her post.

Yes, I agree that being single is fun. You have all the freedom you could ever wish for. You can do whatever you want with your hard-earned money. Decision-making isn’t that tough, as there are less risks - no one else but you suffers the consequences of you actions, no kids or better half to think about.

On being married and having kids, here are my thoughts:

“… how married life is not what it’s all cracked up to be”
- I agree that marriage isn’t all roses. Heck, it’s even mostly thorns for a lot of people, especially at this day and age where you find divorce and broken families left and right.

On the other hand, I strongly believe that marriage is what you make it to be. You don’t just get married and let “fate” do the rest. You have to work hard, really hard, to make a marriage work. You have to always remember why you guys fell in love in the first place, and work on being better for each other.

Actually, if you are married to the right person, all those “hard” work will come naturally, and it won’t be that hard at all.

And another thing, being or staying as each other’s best friend will do wonders to your relationship. Believe me, it works like a charm.

“… how hard it is to raise a child (and sometimes a husband J)”
- I agree. Especially when you think that the child (or children) in question is/are sharing your demonic DNA. But when you think about how you’d feel when you hear the magical words “I love you Mommy” from them… or when somebody congratulates you for having an adorable cute little tyke… Or when you walk up the satge on graduation or recognition day at school to put a medal on your little devil (or angel)… Or when, after a long day at work, your kid rushes to welcome you home with open, probably dirty, arms and a big, wet kiss… You’ll realize that how you feel is actually worth all the hardship you’re going through.

I would never exchange how I feel about my kids for anything. I swear, those little devils are the second-best things that ever happened to me, next to the husband. Being a mom has been one of the best experiences and accomplishments I have.

I guess the feeling of having a child is one of those things that is so hard to understand, until you have one of your own.

“… how hard it is to get along with the in-laws”
- Okay, I can’t say much about this because, with very few exceptions, my sisters-in-law (the husband’s sisters and my brothers’ wives) are wonderful ladies, but I guess not everyone is as lucky as I am on that note.

“… how hard it is to budget their income for all their needs”
- Hear! Hear! I couldn’t agree more, just read my previous post.

But if you think about it, these kinds of difficulties help us become better, smarter individuals. Honestly, part of me is excited to be learning how to overcome this hurdle in a married woman’s life. Imagine how you’d feel when you’ve finally managed to figure out a way to make ends meet and still leave some in your savings.

Who doesn’t have a money problem, anyway? Ridiculously rich people are excluded in this conversation so let’s not think about how they spend their kaching-kaching, lest we wallow in deeper envy.

“The list of “how hard it is to …” seemed endless…”
Indeed, but these hardships are the things that add spice to married life. Actually, to life in general. It just sucks when yours get too spicy for comfort.

Having said all these, one will conclude that I am satisfied and content with my married life. Yes, I am a very happy married woman. The husband and I are probably far from being the perfect parents, husband and wife, but we are not here to live up to other people’s standards.

We are here to enjoy each other’s company for the rest of our lives.

Credits to CartoonStock for the cartoon.