Something they don’t tell you about Prince Charming is the amount of laundry he creates. That’s something that The Blunt Blonde blogger, Jonna Miller, found out the hard way. Just like any girl, she dreamed of the fairytale marriage and happily ever after but had a rude awakening when her parents got divorced.
After wondering if she’d ever find “the one,” it happened…she met David.
Right after the first date, she texted her best friend that she was going to marry David.
Image Credit: Kristi Martin of The Chrome Lens Photography
She quickly learned that marriage, as great as it is, also has its struggles. In her piece titled “If Your Working Husband Makes You Feel Lonely Do His Laundry,” she says:
“I don’t ever recall the Prince in the fairytale having rough, cracked hands and crows feet before he turns 30. I don’t recall the Prince missing dinners because he was working over time or going to bed shortly after he came home to his Palace because he was so exhausted.”
Jonna opens up about the double-edged sword of being married to a hard working man. Her loneliness leads her to put unrealistic expectations on her husband:
“I know I’m putting him in a lose-lose situation,” she says. “He literally can’t win. If he doesn’t work late, we won’t get the new furniture set that I HAVE to have. If he does work late, he comes home to a nagging wife who is desperate for his attention.”
Then it hit her…while doing laundry of all things!
Image Credit: Kristi Martin of The Chrome Lens Photography
As she was folding her husband’s clothes, she realized something that changed her:
“Why did my clothes look so vibrant, clean and new? His were dingy, stained and torn. I stopped folding and just stood there, thinking. This man provides more than I deserve. If I tell him I want something, very seldom will he tell me no…”
Jonna felt a wave of guilt and shame overcome her as she allowed the realization to sink in…
“I suddenly became overwhelmed with a feeling of guilt and shame. I couldn’t help but feel like I have failed as a wife. Instead of being grateful that I have an amazing husband who takes amazing care of me and our daughter, I wait for him to come home to pick a fight. I get spoiled with the fruits of his labor and he is okay with a pair of torn boxer briefs. I was acting as if he was out partying with friends; but his laundry told a completely different story.”
She still has her fairytale…it just looks different than the Prince Charming she dreamed about as a kid, and that’s a good thing!
Image Credit: Kristi Martin of The Chrome Lens Photography
The most important thing in their marriage is Christ. That’s what drives them to serve each other and keeps them going when the times get rough. Doing something as small as laundry has shown her just how much her husband loves her.
“His hands are rough. They have blisters and they’re cracked. His clothes are torn, stained and dingy. He doesn’t care, though. His heart is full when he walks into the door.”
This new fairytale love is “the most beautiful form of love there is”—he puts his family and their needs far before his own and THAT’S what makes a marriage work!