I love my dad because he’s my dad. It’s that simple.

No matter how serious he may be, no matter how strict he may be, he’s still my dad and I’m still his daughter.

He yells at me for doing something wrong. He yells at me for not doing something right. He gets mad quite a lot, but he still loves me, I’m sure.

He’s really strict with time. Be late and he’ll be grumpy.

He’s also quite the disciplinarian. Curfews must be followed. While living under his roof, you abide by his rules. No exceptions.

Quite scary, isn’t he?

Most of my friends are afraid of him. Some adults even fear him.

He’s not a person you should cross.

However, I still love my dad. No matter how immature or unreasonable he may be, he’s still my one and only father.

His love will always be unconditional. If it wasn’t, I might have become one of those street children begging for spare change.

It’s strange how one minute I hate him for being so unrealistic, and the next I’m thinking how lucky I am for being born as his daughter.

I guess a parent-child relationship is quite strange. And to think someday, I’ll be having the same problems as my parents did with me.

Why do people get married?

Is it because they just want to get married to someone, for the sake of having a partner while growing old? Is it because they want to have children to care for? Or maybe it’s because they just love each other?

Honestly, I don’t have the answer. I’m currently 20 years old and way too young to even think about actually getting married. But that doesn’t stop me from thinking about it and why it happens.

I’ve lived for over 20 years, turning 21 soon, and I’ve seen lots of things happen around me.

I’ve met people, mostly friends of my parents, who have had mistresses and children with their mistresses. They’ve already separated with their first wives and now live in with their mistresses, and new kids.

I’ve also met people who have stayed together after years of marriage, and still happy together. I actually have a couple in mind that I really look up on. I asked about their “love story” once for a class and I got full details.

It was inspiring and really motivating.

When I say motivating, it doesn’t mean it made me want to look for a boyfriend at once, no! I meant that it made me think about what I would want my future to be like.

However, we can’t really plan everything in life now, can we?

How is life going to be exciting without the surprises?

Another type of couple I’ve met is the no-kids couple. Although, it’s not a normal scene to meet this type of couple, they do exist. Both couples actually agree not to have children. They think it’s a nuisance and they’d rather spend time with work, or each other.

However, some people do get married for kids. They want to have kids, so they get married. Kind of a half-baked reason for getting married, but it still happens.

So, what now is the main point?

Getting married and having children are two things couples need to consider while they’re still dating, or thinking about getting married. When you get married, it’s supposed to be for life, or at least ideally that is.

Children, on the other hand, are blessings to some and bad omens to others. When you want to have kids, subtly ask your partner if he/she wants one as well. If not, then ask why. Maybe you can work out a compromise, however, things will get bumpy if you don’t both agree on the same decision.

It’s a tricky thing, marriage. It’s not just a ceremony. It’s not just the love and kisses and hugs. It’s the commitment and learning how to accept and respect each other, no matter what life hits you with.