The finale of Married by Mom and Dad on TLC has a little bit of everything. Some great moments for love and some breakups occur.
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The beginning of the show starts off with Mitch and Emily discussing the aftermath of a party with friends. Mitch was upset at the questions he was asked by some of Emily’s friends about his sexuality. She tells the camera she is questioning what happened in the conversation between Mitch and her friend, as he leaves the party by himself. The couple face a conflict in this early time in their relationship.
If this couple can figure out a healthy conflict-management style, then an obstacle should not get in the way of the relationship developing. I’ve written before about my thoughts on marriage, relationships and working through obstacles; however, in this case the couple cannot resolve the issue and chose to part ways. Mitch feels the stress of the process, he tells the camera, including his disappointment.
Related story Answers to Your Questions About What It's Really Like to Be in a Dom/Sub RelationshipJohn Coultrip’s hesitation of going forward and marrying Chandler continues in the finale where we see another couple not make it to the altar. We see him go visit Chandler at her house in the opening scene to talk to her about “not rushing into anything.”
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Apparently, John is not sure how he is feeling and tells her that he “wants to call everything off.” She is obviously upset by this, as she had wanted to get married. He tells her he wants to remain friends at this point in the process.
He didn’t feel it was right for him to continue this process with her, and he had to follow his heart. The really great thing about this parting is that John was true to his heart, and his parents showed a ton of support and love for both of them. In the end, the show tells us John moves to live closer to his folks, so there is a positive light to this situation.
Christine Rollyson and her new husband, Tom Haas, give us a glimpse into their honeymoon. Tom does a great job of supporting and comforting her during this awkward time of getting to know each other so soon after the wedding. She adds him to her phone in a tongue-and-cheek moment, as he continues to learn about her and she him. “You keep your coffee black,” she tells him.
This is a great example of what a relationship looks like, as the couple build on little things and eventually big things. April Eldemire, LMFT, asks, “So how do you ‘show up’ every day for your marriage and make it thrive, not just survive?” Couples guru Dr. John Gottman says that the secret to achieving relationship satisfaction is by doing small things every day to show you care. Adopt the motto, “Small things often.”
Christine and Tom end up moving in together at her home. The show ends with them on a romantic boat ride, a bigger gesture of love. The relationship between these two has a chance without a doubt, and they both commented at the end of the show that they are falling in love.
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So, what do we learn from this season finale? Well, love can happen. As Christine’s dad says at the end of the show, “magic” happened, and these things fell into place in order for his daughter to find the right man. Love can happen fast or slow; its how you develop the relationship that counts. This show was really interesting to watch the process of matchmaking between the parents (amazing support) and how the relationships developed or fell apart after the setup. Lots of learning occurred for each cast member, and the families appeared to grow closer.
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