As Tangled‘s Gothel put it, Mother knows best.
Once upon a time, our mums were wild teenagers who experienced love, heartbreak and more love. They’ve got a lot of wisdom up their sleeve and they only want the best for us.
So we’ve gathered 9 pieces of advice from mother to daughter about “The One” to get you thinking.
This one’s for all the ladies who don’t think they are worthy of an all-consuming love. You are enough. In fact, you’re over-qualified. You deserve love and respect and a happily ever after as much as anyone else. Mr. Right is looking for you, so make it easy on the poor guy.
Whether your dream is to be a house wife that brunches and does Pilates or you want to fight for human rights at the United Nations – you have dreams and ambitions. Whatever they are, pursue them whole-heartedly and make sure your partner supports, pushes and picks you up along the way (and vice versa. Love is a two way street).
No person completes you. They complement you. It is so important to love yourself and be confident in your skin, values and beliefs. It’s okay if your partner doesn’t share the same ones you do. However, you need to be your own person and be content with your life before someone comes into it.
Ain’t that the truth. But really, no woman is either. There will always be times in a relationship where you have to compromise or sacrifice (we’re still working on these ones). We’re not saying settle, but we’re also not saying tick people off like a checklist. Every person is unique and there is someone perfect for you. Even if they never replace a toilet roll when the other finishes.
No, we don’t mean ‘onto the next’ when you’ve found the one. This advice is all about falling in love with the same person over and over again. Fall in love with the person at every stage of their life and you will never be bored – you will grow together.
Every relationship has its magical times and its times. That’s how you know the emotions are real. So cherish all the good moments and appreciate the bad ones too. These are the ones that teach you about yourself and your partner and help progress your relationship.
This isn’t Build-A-Bear and a lot of the time, people don’t change. Don’t lose yourself in the pressure of finding love. You guys either learn to appreciate each other for the people that you are or – that’s it. There is no ‘or’. Love the person for who they are.
Have the courage to be vulnerable and go after the love you deserve. And have the courage to get to know someone you usually wouldn’t. If Noah didn’t try so hard to score that date with Allie and she didn’t give him the chance, we wouldn’t cry every time we watched The Notebook.
Who said romantic dinners are only for the honeymoon stage? Make the effort to keep the spark alive and remind each other why you decided to spend the rest of your lives together in the first place.
Okay we did say 9, but you know mothers, they always give more.
So here’s the trifecta advice that we asked of our cool mums:
Cover image by Lana Babiy
