My Mom’s Rose-Colored Stained Glass Dating Advice

[The following is an excerpt from the upcoming FMU Success Prep Study Guide, TOP10 Marriage Tips For Smart Singles: Part 2, due out in January. However, Part 1 is already out and available here.]

Compared to the average bear, I was given a lot more to go on when it came to marriage preparation. My mom was intensely intentional about providing direction and admonishment on the topic of relationships in general and romance in particular. All relational issues were up for discussion; and from her life experience and extensive Biblical knowledge she often shared great advice.

Her only consistently weak spot was in discerning the feelings of the girl I was currently into. In my mom’s mind, every girl I ever fell in love with was probably in love with me too. Unfortunately, the girls I asked out were so good at suppressing their passions they didn’t even know their true feelings; just my Mom. We'd have conversations that went like this...

Me: “But Mom, I’ve asked her out seventeen times now.”

Mom: “Well, college is busy. You did say she was in a sorority, right?”

Me: “Yes! And she’s taking some other guy to her sorority dance.”

Mom: “She’s probably playing hard-to-get.”

Me: “If she is. She’s winning.”

Mom: “I remember when I was that age. I didn’t want to ask the guy I really liked. I would want to protect myself from getting hurt. What was her last reason for not going out with you?”

Me: “Ah. She said she didn’t like me.”

In reality, the first girl to like me back was Julie. And so I married her. That’s not the strategy we recommend at FMU, but by God’s grace, the first girl to like me back turned out to be a real winner. On the plus side, we had already been close friends for over 2 years before we even started dating, and that is something we recommend at FMU.

[end of excerpt]

Well, how about you? How have your parents helped (or not helped) you prepare for your future marriage? Feel like you'd like more to go on? DON'T WAIT FOR PREMARITAL COUNSELING! You can check out our podcast on The Boundless Show, the young adult outreach of Focus On The Family.

[Check back weekly for more excerpts of the FMU Success Prep Study Guide, TOP10 Marriage Tips For Smart Singles: Part 2, or check out Part 1 right here.]