A Hollywood Romance

I think a lot of girls and young women today might have what I like to call Princess Syndrome. They've grown up idolizing and aspiring to be a Disney princess- with the poofy gowns, bejeweled tiaras, the lovely castles and, oh yeah, Mr. Perfect-Knight-in-Shining-Armor-Doesn't-Say-Anything- Wrong- Prince. To most people these little romance stories seem harmless (Hey- I can't deny I still enjoy Beauty and the Beast and The Sleeping Beauty). But there are some major issues in these children's fairy tales.

If we consistently watch these young, extremely physically beautiful women (yes, even though they are cartoons) who get almost everything they want, this is what we will expect for ourselves as we grow up. Our dreams and fantasies of our own future romances will start to mold themselves around these fictional stories. Even as adults we have our own version of the disney princess- our chick flicks and our old fashioned romances. I can say that honestly about myself, and believe me, I love my Jane Austen!
All of this saturation, even in smallish quantities, can cause us to expect God to write us our own Hollywood Romance complete with everything falling into place perfectly, Mr. Wonderful sweeping us off of our feet and no awkward moments. Because, after all, they always say the right things and do the right things in the movies, why not in real life too?

I've had married women tell me that married life is mostly work with a bit of romance here and there. These fantastical stories lead us to believe that marriage and relationships are 90% romantic and fun, with just a little bit of work or disappointment.
I'm sorry if I sound as if I'm spouting out a bunch of thoughts, but I've had this on my mind and I wanted to give my unmarried sisters in Christ a little warning. I'm not saying you should shun all romances, I'm just saying we should be very careful. Don't watch or read too much of it or you will find yourself expecting it. Even the seemingly perfect marriages and relationships have their multitudes of flaws and imperfections. Remember that God may chose to write your story differently than your friends and romance may play a smaller part than you expected. Marriage is a place wherein two sinners seek to exemplify Christ and the Church, therefore it's not always a bed of roses! Expect the real and believe that God has the best in mind for us and the Hollywood version may not be what is best for us.