I am a long time listener. I am on my second marriage. My first marriage's courtship was long-distance and based more on the excitement of getting back together after each absence. He wasn't very responsible and mentioned a few times he would stay home and I could work to support us. Once I realized I didn't want him to be the father of my 84 kids, I divorced him.

My current husband and I have a much more stable, old-fashioned marriage. He works and I mostly stay home and work in my family pancake-catering business, Chris Cakes, part time when a Grandma or Daddy can watch our little girl. I used to think I wouldn't have a "traditional" marriage. I assumed I would just put my kid in day care. After listening to you and then having my daughter, I knew I would never have the heart to leave her for the majority of her waking hours with anyone else.

It was a little hard to give up the dramatic high school exciting kind of love for the real kind of lasting marital love. My husband is the mostly strong silent type and it isn't often I hear anything romantic from him, but I recently asked him if he thought we were soul mates. I expected an eye roll or a sigh, but instead he looked thoughtful for a minute and said that we are soul mates - soul mates in progress.

Thank you for opening my eyes to my vital role in our home.

Amanda