If You Love Me, Give Me Your All

In the spirit of love and the recent Valentine's Day, we've come to see a constant question that comes up yearly resurface again, one that talks about what we give in a relationship per gender, asking if it should be 50/50 input in all aspects or if one gender should do more than the other. To be honest, I've come to see this question regularly, to the point where it not only annoys me but also irritates me. This is a relationship between two people who claim to love themselves, and I believe there's a standard that ought to come out from such, and that's why below I'll be stating my take on the subject matter.

In most cases around this part of the world, we've come to hear how traditions and the people believe the man ought to give his 100 percent to the relationship he's in with a lady, while it's okay for the lady to give a few percent to the same because she's a lady and because men are often referred to as the head of the home, so it's best they're best at giving more too. Despite how this is the common norm, it's worth noting that I've seen relationships where the lady is actually the one giving more, not only in finance but also in commitments and the like. So that's to show that each case is unique, but here's what I think should be the standard.

When you claim you love me and I claim to do the same, to the point where we both agree to go into a relationship, then I believe the love we've for ourselves should be huge enough to push us into doing the extraordinary for ourselves as partners. I mean, how can you claim you love me but feel like I should be the only one committing myself to making sure you're happy? And when I'm saying this, it doesn't have to do with finances alone; I'm referring to every aspect of life. We both owe each other 100%, and that's what we should give.

100% from both parties is the best way to show you genuinely love your said partner; in my opinion, anything less than that shows you don't genuinely cherish them. You should be willing to help out with the house chores and care for the baby, not say that's her responsibility. You should also be ready to help out with the finances around the house, not that you'll say that's his responsibility. If you claim you love your partner, then you should see your partner as a part of yourself, so anytime you let them do more than you're doing, then you should know you're indirectly hurting yourself. You both shouldn't give less than 100%.

When 100 percent from both parties is given genuinely, only then can one have a blessed home, filled with love, happiness, and unwavering long-suffering, that'll help the relationship withstand the test of time and life's challenges.

All photos are mine.