Layers

I have a friend who is in a very complicated relationship: the guys she is dating is much older and has two kids, ages 4 and 6.

Her parents raised her in a conservative religious household, and don’t support the situation in general. Her mother was raised in a fractured home and can’t help but project her own baggage onto the kids her daughter will be adopting if the relationship moves forward.

And her boyfriend’s ex-wife shares custody of the two kids; so her well-being is of great concern to my friend, as it will certainly influence the kids she’ll spend half her time raising.

Layers and layers of complexity to sift through and consider.

The movies boil it down to, “Do you love him? Yes or no?”

In the real world that question still matters; but we should expect to encounter many more layers, and know that there won’t always be a simple yes-or-no answer.