It can be easy to grow up thinking one day your prince will come — the man that sweeps you off your feet, covers you in romance and treats you like a literal princess. When we first fall in love, it can seem like that is how you will live your life every day, but soon a different reality sets in. You realize every day is no longer filled with roses and chocolates, but rather bills and dirty dishes. Even though life is not as fairy-tale-like as you imagined, it is actually even better. Here's why.

It doesn't end at happily ever after

The nice thing about real life is it doesn't end when you find "the one." Your story did not stop when you got married; it just began. You get to experience life together, have children, go on vacations and work to make your dreams reality. And you get to have these experiences with someone you love by your side. You get to make new goals together and you have someone to accompany you on the great journey of life.

Your husband is better than any prince

Sure, in fairy tales the prince saves the princess from some crazy scenario; but when your husband opens a door for you, carries your purse or runs to the grocery store for ice cream, realize those are the things that matter; not that he can't bench press 300 pounds like he once did or stay up all night out dancing with you, but that he knows your favorite place to get soda and what book your daughter likes him to read to her. These things make up the wonderful man you married, and that is sweeter than any prince.

You get to slay the villains together

It is not your husband's job to kill the "evil queen"; it is your job as a couple. When you face trials, demons and obstacles you get to work together to overcome them. It is your power as a couple that helps you defeat the evil in your life. Whether it be losing a job, fighting an illness or overcoming a personal loss, you don't have to face it alone, but rather with your one true love by your side.

If I have learned one thing from my marriage, it is that I do not want to live a fairy tale or be married to Prince Charming. I want to be married to a man that tries every day to make me happy; a man who goes to a job that he may not necessarily like so we can continue to have a roof over our head; A man who would rather stay in and watch movies with our kids then go to a fancy restaurant in the city; a man who knows life can be hard, but it does not mean we are not happy. We may not have a palace, but we have a happy home full of laughter and love. I may not be married to an actual prince, but I am married to a partner who works just as hard as I do at our marriage and is willing to keep trying even when we disagree. These are the things that make up a man, and I would much rather have a man than a prince.