Do those ‘Happily Ever Afters’ really exist?

Courtney Sharkey
Teen Columnist, The Friday Flyer

Growing up my mother read fairytales about true love and meeting Prince Charming. Which had me thinking; could all of these fantasy story books reflect reality?

I’m not talking about having a fairy godmother bippity boppity booing me into a shiny dress that’ll go away at midnight, but about meeting my “prince.” My parents are their own fairytale, but what about me?

At the age of 17, my experiences with love aren’t much; by that I mean none. Having an occasional crush here and there is no big de

al, but when it comes to commitment I’m never there.

While watching chick flicks in my room all night about finding love, I can only imagine if any of it is true. You can’t trust what you see in movies because they’re staged. It’s all on script, so of course everything happens perfectly.

But what if there was a way it could really be like that? Let’s compare movies to reality.

When I hear people tell me about their first dates they always sound awful. You start off with the really awkward handshake when you introduce yourself to the girl’s dad. When you make it past that part you get in the car, you have an awkward conversation and, after a long drive, you finally make it to the restaurant.

While you’re having dinner something doesn’t go right, and you have an awkward drive home. Both of you end up leaving upset, probably never going to see each other again because of how disastrous the date went.

Maybe you got off easy and ended up with the other option of the maybe we’ll see each other again when I get desperate enough to call you again at 2 in the morning. Then the last choice, when surprisingly everything goes well and they end up seeing each other again.

Now let’s think about what happens in movies.

The guy shows up in his expensive sports car and you run and jump in. You know your parents are out of town so no awkward introductions have to be met. You guys go to the county fair, have a nice romantic time on the Ferris wheel with a kiss on the top. He wins you a stuffed bear and then you leave the fair to go eat.

You decide to share a plate of spaghetti because everyone knows how that ends in a kiss. You get home with butterflies everywhere as you close the door and go to your room to jump then lay on your bed just thinking about how great he is.

Now, since I have no experience in the dating field, I wouldn’t know if this movie moment could be realistic. There are always more heartbreaks than love out there in this world.

In the world we are all living in now, the divorce rate has gone up more than ever. At a shocking 40 to 50 percent, that means every other marriage ends in a divorce.

Back in my grandparents’ day, they said if a relationship wasn’t working, they would make it work. They didn’t give up on each other. Everyone makes mistakes, they accepted that and they worked through it, no matter how hard it got.

When I hear people talk about their exes, it’s all little things that they couldn’t agree on. So what if she wanted to dye her hair a different color? Eventually it would change back; but there’s just no more patience.

With the few exceptions out there, the true love stories that actually work, they get worked on every day. My brother Taylor and his wife Veronica have been together since their sophomore year in high school. They eventually got married this last October. Every time I see them, of course, there are imperfections; but without them they wouldn’t be the people they are.

I crave to have what they have, or what my parents have. To be that percentage of people who make it through the hard times with someone.

So the real question is, “Does true love really exist?” Well I guess that depends on the person. No love is perfect, but you could be your own romantic comedy.

People need to learn that it’s not fun and easy all the time. Life gets hard, but it’s easier if you have someone with you telling you everything is going to get better, because it will.

If you have someone you love, tell them. Because you never know when your last moment will be.

If you’re struggling in a relationship right now, don’t let go just yet. Talk to your significant other about your problems, and try to work through them.

Love is work, not a cruise down easy street. Always remember that things will eventually get better if you can talk through your problems. Live a life you’ll remember, with the one you really love.