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Recently I have been watching a lot of “Leave It To Beaver” episodes. Blame it on my need to fully over expose myself to black and white shows or the fact that frankly I was trying to avoid housework. The fact still remains the Cleaver’s marriage has me a bit on edge. I love how both the mother and the father always seem to be mostly on the same page. I love how they seem to have each other’s best interest at heart. Not to mention the fact that I love how honestly, the wife always seems to enjoy serving her family.
“June and Ward Cleaver Leave it to Beaver 1958” by ABC Television - eBay itemphoto frontphoto back. Licensed under Public Domain via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:June_and_Ward_Cleaver_Leave_it_to_Beaver_1958.JPG#/media/File:June_and_Ward_Cleaver_Leave_it_to_Beaver_1958.JPG
Then I turn the television off and I am slapped back into reality. Marriages are really not like that- at least not all the time. Marriages have disagreements. Sometimes those disagreements get down right heated. Children do not always hold the unified front of a marriage in such high regard. In fact a lot of times in a marriage children try to find that weak link between the two parties. No, marriages simply do not look like the Cleaver’s marriage nor should they.
I am sure that we would all love to have a marriage that looks like the Cleaver’s marriage. But the fact remains that their television marriage was scripted. Even more so it was scripted to fit an era where perfection was suppose to be seen between a husband and wife on the television screen.
Yet there are a few things that we can walk away with about marriage as we watch “Leave It To Beaver”.
- Our marriage should look like a unified front because we are putting God before ourselves. Now mind you this does not mean that everything will always be rainbows and butterflies. In fact there will be times when disagreements will poke it’s ugly little head. However, against the world (or the children) we should always have our husband’s back even in those moments we feel we are right.
- Even when we feel as though our marriage does not effect our children this is simply not the case. Our children watch everything we do pertaining our marriage, they mimic these things with their own relationships and will someday strive to have marriages that look like ours.
- We must make time to talk to our husband on a regular basis about all things. We should also make sure we are actively listening to our husband. Sure we think that our husband doesn’t need to know every detail when it comes to happenings around the house. But, the fact of the matter is they really do. This is how they stay connected a lot of times. This is how they figure our what is bothering us and those in our home. Not to mention that a lot of times they can provide wonderful words of wisdom that are much needed.
- Even though it is important that we have time with our husband’s we also need to be willing to promote our husband’s need to connect with our children one on one. I find this ever so important since we are raising three boys of our own. I want them to gain the wisdom that my husband has collected over the years that I simply do not understand since well I am not a man. I also what him to have a special relationship with our daughter so that one day she will strive to marry a man just like him. However- this will not happen if I am also demanding his attention.
- End each day with a simply embrace if nothing else. Our lives can be so crazy. There is however something that is very comforting that comes from simply hugging our man at the end of the night. It reminds us that we are not on this journey alone.
The fact remains we could watch old television shows drooling all day long because of the way their marriages look so perfect but their marriages are literally written in a script. I, for one, am just going to enjoy the script that God is writing for our marriage.
Until Next Time Just Keep Soaring 4 Him,
I find the active listening part to be difficult sometimes!
Active listening is HARD. Even more so when we feel we are in the right. I have learned (the hard way) that if I will simply stop and listen that really a lot of times my husband is bringing very valuable point to the table that maybe I haven’t even thought of. Other times it when it seems we are not on the same page we actually are but we are looking at the situation from different view points.
I LOVED reading this!!! As a child, my life was rough. I have a mother who had no self control and her temper was and still can be explosive. I remember that I would watch Leave It to Beaver and think that when I grew up, I wanted to be as well balanced and in control as June Cleaver. My children would always eat at the table with me and their father, I would never yell at them or my husband and I would always keep myself and my home in shape.
I still try to hold on to those childish intentions sometimes and, of course, I fail miserably!