The Myth of Romantic Love

With marriage on the decline in our culture, we must go out of our way to instruct our kids about the beauty and realities of this God-ordained institution. Where our kids have misunderstandings, we must correct them. One great misunderstanding is that of romantic love. This is the belief that love is a feeling. Consequently, when the feeling subsides or disappears, then love has disappeared as well. What we must teach our kids is that love is both a decision and a commitment. I love this description of marriage from David Brooks in his book “The Second Mountain.” “An old guy is talking to his daughter about his love for his late wife. He tells her, Love itself is what is left over when being in love has burned away, and this is both an art and an unfortunate accident. Your mother and I had it, we had roots that grew towards each other underground, and when all the pretty blossoms had fallen from our branches we found that we were one tree and not two.”