“‘Girl, you deserve better than that. What do you mean he didn’t bring you flowers on the first date? You deserve someone who treats you like a queen. I think you should dump him and find someone who buys you something for your anniversary, someone who truly knows your worth.’
I’ve heard this advice more times than I can count. But here’s the thing—I’ve been married to my husband for fifteen years, and for our one-year anniversary, he took me to McDonald’s and bought me something off the dollar menu. That’s all we could afford at the time.
He didn’t bring me flowers for our first date, or our second, or even our third. He hasn’t whisked me away on lavish trips or showered me with expensive gifts for anniversaries. Truth be told, these days we hardly even remember the exact date, much less celebrate it with grand gestures.
But here’s what I’ve learned: those aren’t the ways a man truly treats you like a queen.
It’s in the little, quiet things. It’s the way he fills up the gas tank so you don’t have to make an extra stop after a long day. It’s the way he takes out the trash without being asked, lifting even the smallest burden from your shoulders. It’s the way he lets you sleep in or go to bed early, quietly taking over bedtime duties with the kids so you can rest.
It’s the way he holds your hand in the delivery room when your babies are born, steady and reassuring. It’s the way he looks at you like you are the only person in the world when you walk down the aisle, tears in his eyes, whispering that his heart is yours forever.
It’s the way he cares for you when you’re sick, gently tending to your needs without complaint. It’s the way he rocks your children to sleep, makes them giggle like nobody else can, and cherishes those first moments with them as if they are miracles—because they are.
True love is in these small, priceless moments. They don’t cost a thing, yet they mean everything. Over time, you begin to realize that diamonds might be a girl’s best friend, but a woman knows her husband is her best friend, and no jewel could ever compare to him.
Being treated like a queen by your husband doesn’t look like the movies, or like the world tells you it should. It’s quieter, simpler, yet infinitely richer. And in those everyday, selfless acts of love, you discover something far more precious than flowers, gifts, or diamonds—you discover a love that lasts a lifetime.”
