Friday, November 8, 2013

#myhusbandisbetterthanyours

It's the hashtag that makes me cringe above all hashtags (and there are many cringe-worthy hashtags out there). I've seen it time after time and it's always bothered me, but then I just shrug it off. It's not a big deal.

Or is it a big deal?


Marriage is not a competition. It shouldn't be. But the first year of our marriage, I quickly found that for many people that is exactly what it is. I think it even became that for me. I started to feel this icky pressure to prove to the world that Brian and I had a worthy love story. I needed to show all outsiders that our life was good, our home was clean, that I was a desirable wife, and most importantly, that Brian was a flawless husband. I posted pictures to Instagram when he brought me breakfast in bed. I wrote out a mushy Facebook status when he brought flowers home from work. Looking back on that first year, I just roll my eyes at a lot of the things I did and shared, all just to prove to others that our marriage was happy and we were lovesick for one another. What a cheap act for me to pull, really. It wasn't right for me to put Brian's acts of love on display for the world to see. It was degrading, really.

Not only was it degrading to my own relationship, but I can see clearly now how it could have been degrading to other couples. Putting everything out there, perfectly rehearsed, can be hurtful to the couple who may have just had a fight, are struggling financially or are in any other kind of a rut. When you're saying your husband is the best, someone might actually believe it, and that might bruise their heart.

I hope that each woman truly believes that her husband is the best. That's how it should be. I know Brian is the best for me. However, that gives me no right to say he's better than all other husbands. That's simply not true. Every love story is special and sacred.

I've learned my lesson. Marriage isn't a competition to be the most in love. It's not something to be put up on display for others to judge and compare themselves to. Marriage is a sacred thing between you and your companion. Sure, I love seeing the occasional mushy Facebook status from other couples and it makes me happy to hear about how your husband brought you home a really great surprise. I'm not saying to never share. I am only suggesting that maybe we all need to ask ourselves every now and again, "Am I over sharing?" Also, when we share pieces of our marriage, we can do it in a manner that enlightens and lifts others up in their own marriages and relationships. We are a community of women; from here on out I want to strive to strengthen my sisters in their own relationships. I'm so over the comparison game and I want to kick the "let me paint this picture that my life is perfect" thing in the gutter.

My husband is not perfect. He does things that drive me bonkers.

And I still love him.

#ourhusbandsrock

27 comments:

  1. I feel this way about ALL "isbetterthanyours" statements.
    My friends are better than your friends.
    My job is better than yours.
    My toilet is better than yours.
    Blah blah blah blah.
    Why does it need to be a competition? Can we not all be happy for the simple joys that we, and those around us, experience? To me, the "better than yours" statements are a direct reflection of the way said he/she feels about him/herself. To me, these statements scream, "I wish my life was better than yours". Great post. Great reminder (even to an unmarried spinster such as myself). Thank you.

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    1. Brooke, you are so right. I am sorry I didn't focus on other things outside of marriage because I think the poisonous comparison game is a problem in many aspects of life and during every stage of life. Thanks for pointing that out. I agree, we need to stop constantly competing and be supportive of one another. Also, you are totally not a spinster. I think you're great.

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  2. stranger commenting! a friend shared this post on fb & i think you make some very important points. i'm a newlywed so i definitely understand the compulsion to shout I LOVE MY HUSBAND to anyone within an arm's reach. what a great reminder that some things are better saved for just the two of us! i'd love to see #ourhusbandsrock start trending! thanks again. :)

    with love,
    carlie wynn
    www.wynnlove.com

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    1. Nice to meet you, stranger! I checked your blog out and I have a feeling I'll be a frequent reader from here on out. Keep on loving that husband of yours.

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  3. What a lovely post - I so agree!

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  4. You just put what I feel everytime I see those hash tags into words. Loved it so much I had to read it to my sister. You are awesome!

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    1. Thanks, Tiffany. I'm glad to hear I'm not the only one bothered by "my ______ is better than yours" hashtags. YOU are awesome.

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  5. I echo Brooke. I really dislike any of the "isbetterthanyours" hashtags or comments. It's not a competition. Everyone's life and situation is different and while I LOVE to hear about the people I love being happy, I don't like it when there's a gloating hashtag attached to what would be another wise nice post/status/whatever. You have a lovely way with words.

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    1. Alyssa, totally agree. I love what you said about everyone's life and situation being different. We are all on a different path with a different set of circumstances. Rather than compare, the best thing to do is support and love.

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  6. Thank you for this! I am not married, but I was engaged for 5 months and I felt like this all the time. It was confusing to me to look at my relationship and wonder if we were missing something, because we weren't always posting gorgeous pictures of ourselves around Facebook and occasionally we would have little "discussions". It's so important that we learn to be happy and satisfied with our life - enough that we don't have to have the validation from other people.

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    1. Isn't it interesting how when we have something that makes us happy, outside forces try to tell us that we don't? I think you are spot on. When we can learn how to be happy with what we have, the approval of others doesn't matter so much. Also, I've found that when I become happy with my own life, it's much easier for me to celebrate the successes of others rather than get jealous. Thanks for sharing your comment. I've loved the discussions I've had with others due to this silly little blog post.

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  7. Thank you for this article!! I see it WAY too much. "my mom is better than your mom" "my dog is better than your dog" "my toes are better than your toes" (okay the last one is a joke..!) But I just want to say ENOUGH! Nobody is better. I HATE it when people do that though. It really is degrading to other couples. I always want to leave snarky comments, but I just shut up and go on. It's just annoying, you know?! It's so true, nobody is perfect, and no marriage is perfect. There is no need to get "braggy" by saying/hashtagging things like that.

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  8. I read this after seeing it posted to Brookie's wall ( I'm her mom, btw). You are wise beyond your years!

    "I've learned my lesson. Marriage isn't a competition to be the most in love. It's not something to be put up on display for others to judge and compare to. Marriage is a sacred thing between you and your companion. Putting everything out there, perfectly rehearsed, can be hurtful to the couple who may have just had a fight, are struggling financially or are in any other kind of a rut. "
    Your words are spot-on. One of my older children called me about five years ago, early in her marriage, and expressed sadness over friends who often posted about their picture-perfect lives. She wondered what she and her husband were doing wrong, why they weren't as happy as all of her friends? This marriage, btw, ended in divorce after one short year. I reassured her that almost no one posts about the not so good times (cheating, addictions, financial problems, etc.) so of course, we all assume everyone else is living a fairy tale life.
    I write a food blog, and it is interesting to me, how many people ask if I cook like I post every day. Of course not! But that is the perception, because I post only the best of what I cook. I have purposely not posted every vacation, accomplishment, and wonderful thing Grant does for me because I am concerned about the feelings of others who read my blog. There are many things best left to ourselves, and not shared online.
    Thanks for the honest post. Your husband is blessed to have a wife who "gets it" !

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    1. I feel like a creep but I have totally read your cooking blog and it is very tasteful in more ways than one. As I understand it, your daughter is now remarried and has a sweet baby; good for her (I feel like a creep again). I sometimes wish we could be more open about the hard experiences; not to be negative, of course, but because so much character is built during hard times. Thanks for your sweet comment. I absolutely love your daughter. That Brooke, she's pretty amazing.

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  9. May I suggest "The Five Levels of Attachment," by Miguel Ruiz, Jr.? It's 160 insightful pages which address some of the motives for these behaviors.

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    1. Interesting. I looked it up and may have to read it sometime. Thanks for the recommendation.

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  10. I guess I'm not good enough at this whole social media thing, cause I always forget to share it with the world when he gives me flowers, a back rub, or cooks for me. I'll work on it.
    No but seriously, I agree with you! My husband is the best! But he's the best FOR ME.

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    1. Ha ha! Gosh, how will I go on with my life if I don't know how many back rubs your husband gave you this week? Love your comment. Keep loving that husband and being the best for EACH OTHER :).

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  11. Love your blog post. Definitely plan to share it.

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  12. I saw this post on deseret news. CONGRATS by the way for that being put in there. I love this so much though. I can't even begin to tell you. I HATE when people hashtag that. Because for one, I really do feel like my husband is better than anyone elses...at least for me. I don't believe it's a competition, but that hashtag does make me cringe. You're an amazing writer. So keep at it!

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    1. Amanda! You are a sweetheart. Thanks for the thoughtful comment.

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  13. I love this! It drives me crazy when people write up huge posts about how amazing and wonderful their husband/wife are. Seriously, then go into the other room and tell them, you're just making all of us uncomfortable. Before posting something I always try to think if someone else posted would I want to see it? I do think however that some people seem to get mad if you mention anything good going on in your life like you're trying to show off, but I like hearing when peoples lives are going good! You can't let happy people get you down, that leads to an unhappy life. You're post is perfect, keep it up :)

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    1. Rosie, I completely agree! I hope my post didn't make it sound like you should never openly talk about good things happening in your life. I think I would rather hear someone brag instead of listen to a complainer. I'm a firm believer in being positive. . . but I'm also a firm believer in being real. I think it's important to sometimes share the ugly and not so perfect parts of life because everyone has them. I love that you mentioned the thing about putting yourself in another's shoes before you post anything. What a great bit of advice! Thank you.

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  14. Hi kelsey! Just wanted to let you know that you made such a good point with this post. It actually inspired a post on our freshly married blog - http://freshlymarried.com/you-are-perfect-for-me/
    I found that I've been guilty of this hash tag before myself. With our blog focused on strengthening marriage, people might perceive our posts of sharing sweet experiences as a public brag rather than our actual intention oof inspiring and lifting up others. Thank you for sharing!

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  15. Hi kelsey! Just wanted to let you know that you made such a good point with this post. It actually inspired a post on our freshly married blog - http://freshlymarried.com/you-are-perfect-for-me/
    I found that I've been guilty of this hash tag before myself. With our blog focused on strengthening marriage, people might perceive our posts of sharing sweet experiences as a public brag rather than our actual intention oof inspiring and lifting up others. Thank you for sharing!

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    1. I'm so glad to hear that you got something out of my post. I love your personal blog post and I love that you are sharing happy bits of your life via your blog. That's great!

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