The Gift of Love

So, today I read something Susan Sarandon said while discussing her break-up with Tim Robbins. She said, "You bring people into your life at certain times. Maybe you have a relationship to have children and you realize that it's fulfilled after that point." So...children don't need their parents to live together, commit to one another and display what love really should be? And you realize that it's okay to just use someone to have kids?

Now, I don't think Susan Sarandon would say she didn't feel her kids needed parents or a father. She would probably explain why not being married would be good for her kids. But her way of thinking irked me. It's a very selfish way to think. In effect, you say to someone, "You were great for a while. I got to have kids with you. But now I'm fulfilled and our relationship has served its purpose, so, I'll be going now." Of course, it is never that simple. Break ups hurt and Susan says so in the article. What her statement reveals is a selfish way of looking at a relationship with another person.

Our children deserve the gift of parents who show them what true love is, that you stick with someone through thick and thin and you don't leave when you feel it's over. They should see an enduring commitment, not fleeting emotion. What do our children learn if we drop someone once we think they aren't fulfilling to us anymore? We teach them that it's okay to dump people and to guide your life by your feelings and selfish desires. Our world is full of broken kids from broken marriages. We don't need anymore. Let's give our children the gift of true love, in our love to them and our love as spouses.