Qualandria Bell
Why We Love Her
She works full-time in the field of Mental Health, and has been studying to obtain her Bachelor’s Degree while raising two boys with her Soulmate and husband of 9 years. She makes it all seem effortless, however she is a dedicated hard-working mother and wife who has managed to carve out time to fulfill her own dreams!
What She Can Teach Us
How to love and respect our spouses and children within a blended family, while encouraging a cohesive bond. How to raise hardworking, respectful, honor students, despite societal influences and expectations. How to live our dreams while managing the demands of life, love, work, and play.
Where to Find Her
In Her own Words
Who Am I:
I am a wife, mother, and student. I have 2 boys ages 16 and 10. I have been married for 9 years to my soul mate. My husband and I met in high school we weren’t high school sweethearts. We met in a history class, and he was the class clown. He made me laugh sometimes a little too much and a little too hard. Years later we found each other again and became “friends”. We dated for about 5 years before we got married.
Thoughts on Love & Marriage:
Make your own definitions for what works for you. Never look at other people’s relationships for definitions, guidance maybe but not definitions. If you try to model your entire relationship after someone else you will lose who you are and what you stand for in love. You and your partner have to find your own way to deal with your relationship through communication, understanding and love.
What Works For Me:
For me the key has been our friendship, the humor, and the honesty that we have been able to share through the years. My husband and I talk about everything and anyone who knows us knows that we are more friends than anything. In a marriage people change at different phases of their lives especially if you marry at the ripe old age of 24 like we did. There is a lot of growing that takes place in our twenties and thirties, so you have to dig your heels in and know you are in it for the long haul. You can’t just run because the person is not the same person you married. People change physically, mentally and spiritually and you have to find a way through it all because change will happen but the key is to knowing how to address it.
Family:
My oldest son is from a previous relationship, but my husband and I have raised him together since he was a baby. My younger son was born 2 years before we got married. They are both well rounded and well behaved boys. My oldest son is 16, an honor roll student, and takes all honor and advanced classes. He’s just a good kid. My youngest is 10, and also on the honor roll, loves to read, and can tell you a lot about any sport. Not just stats, but also the history of the sport. It has been easy for us to blend our family, but for some it is not. I think maturity, structure, rules and communication is the key to blending a family. It can be as easy as you make it.
ABOUT THIS AUTHOR
I love the points you make here. Defining what love is to you is so key. Knowing who you are as a couple can only make you closer and stronger because you have a framework from which to work.
I also love how you talk about marrying young (like I did) and accepting the growth in yourself and your partner.
Although you say blending your family has been easy, I don’t think it would be as successful as it is without the key ingredients you mention, communication, structure, maturity, and rules.
I know Muncy! Nice piece Muncy! I absolutely love this story. She’s an incredible lady and I admire her smarts and her funny.