Today's Unsolicited Relationship Advice

Today's unsolicited relationship advice: 

Couples are initially attracted to one another for a myriad of reasons. Looks, hobbies, religion, occupation. So many are fleeting, these days, hot flames blown out like candles in the wind..after a short time. How do couples last, stay together, get married, stay faithful? It's not love, it's not honesty, loyalty or maturity. It's not your slim physique. It's praise. Yep- plain simple, unending, every day praise, appreciation, a shining mirror of happiness you reflect back to your significant other. You do not love someone because of their attributes. You fall and stay in love, based on how that person makes you feel about you-yourself. Be it pretty, thin, muscular, smart, witty, kind, compassionate, resourceful, honest, loyal, strong. Knowing exactly what your partner is striving to be, then telling and showing them consistently they ARE exactly what they wish to be, and how proud you are of them, is the unbreakable bond. Along those same lines, if you find yourself the one hurt in every relationship or find you've been discarded for another more than once? Maybe, check your words, actions, and "constructive" criticisms. Do you humiliate or embarrass the person you "love" in front of others? Even worse, do you criticize their hopes and dreams? Do you belittle their interests? Do you berate them or point out their faults and failures, in the name of "honesty" or "reality". Is your focus on what you desire and what's in the relationship for you? Check and adjust your relationship mirrors. Especially for those blind spots.

Yours truly,
Mama