That is what Natalie & the 4 year old asked Elmo, my fiancee. They are afraid of the change marriage might bring. They have been asking many similar questions too. They want to know who Elmo is marrying - is he marrying me or are they part of it?
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| A Beautiful Picture of Elmo & I by kaer-morhen* |
Their relationship with Elmo is complex - he recognises them as part of me but also see that they are each uniquely themselves. He told me once that one of the first things he learnt about DID from dating me was that each part isn't just 2 dimensional. While each part might have their reason - their part in our system - they each have their unique personalities - traits, likes & dislikes - some of which are separate to my own. All that said, Elmo still sees that they are part of who I am and that makes him love them for who they are.
When he talked to my littles about marriage - he told them it would change nothing at home, that it would be to show the world his love and commitment. He said that while he is marrying me - he is making a commitment to all of us to be there. Together they decided that I would be Elmo's wife - but they would be part of his family.
I am very lucky with how supportive Elmo is in our relationship, however it is hard and we both have to work at our relationship. Every relationship has their struggles and with me bring so much baggage into our relationship that puts all the more pressure on us. The thing that keeps us together is that we communicate - we talk through everything - even the things that dont have answers, we talk about it until we both feel better and know we are there for each other.
Today Elmo and I put a deposit on our wedding rings - we have booked the venues and are starting to interview celebrants and photographers. We are getting married in 10 months and I am so happy - there is still a lot of stress and I still have bad times (Ive been a bit triggered lately but more on that in another post) but I am also able to laugh and I feel loved and know its going to be okay.
2 years ago when I started this blog, I didnt think I could be happy like this - being in a healthy relationship and getting married seem to be an impossible goal for someone with DID. Who would want to take that all on? However it happened - because I am someone worth loving and I found someone who sees that and loves me and whom I love.
I write all this to let others who feel like I did 2 years ago who feel that a relationship is out of reach. It can happen, with the right person and with a lot of effort on both parts - but it is worth it - 110%.
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* The picture above is one I commissioned from a great friend (and my Maid of Honour) for Elmo's and my 1 year anniversary. You can check out her other works at Deviant Art
4 comments:
Elmo sounds wonderful. I am so happy for all of you. I also found a wonderful man who is willing to accept all of me. We have been married for over a decade.
That's awesome :) I'm really glad you're able to work out what could've been quite a complicated issue. So glad you have each other :)
Congratulations. Being with the right person can mean a life of mostly delight - maybe not all the time, but a good deal of it!
Congratulations!! It is nice to find someone agree to commit to ALL of you. I met a woman who actually had a private ceremony before the actual wedding, where her therapist officiated an official commitment of her husband to each part and each parts commitment to her husband. I thought that was a great idea and maybe you can think of doing someting like that just so that your parts feel as though they are truly part of the wedding and the commitment ceremony...
I just started my owd DID blog at literalgemini.blogspot.com. I am looking for a community to connect to. So I hope you don't mind if I list your blog among my interesting links. Take care and I'll be reading!!
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