Hiya. So, I'm a 35 year old mum to a 6 years old son. I have a husband two years older than I am and have been happily married for 8 years.
Today, my son asked me a question:
"Mummy, is daddy your soul mate?"
I thought about it for a moment before saying, "No. Daddy is Mummy's husband and life long partner."
And then my child continued to ask "Oh, okay. But does that mean he's your soul mate? Isn't life long partner and soul mate the same thing?"
I was honestly surprised by these questions he was asking me and I had to keep reminding myself that he was only 6 years old. I don't believe in having a soul mate. I believe that any man and woman can have more than one life long partner (like how there are step-fathers and step-mothers) and that it all comes down to being at the right place and the right time when you choose to spend the rest of your life with the "one". Throughout my life, I have met two guys (before my husband) who I genuinely wanted to spend the rest of my life with because we really just clicked and the feelings were mutual although neither guys ever asked me out because in both instances, the timing and the situation were all just wrong. One of them is now happily married and a parent and the other is living his dream by working on what he enjoys the most. Could they have been the "one"? Maybe, but that ship has sailed long and gone and we are all happy with where we are now. So where did the term "soul mate" even come from?
Going back to my son, I sat him on my lap and said, "Daddy isn't my soul mate. I don't think there is such a thing as a soul mate. Mummy loves Daddy super duper much and Daddy loves Mummy just as much as we love you. We promised to spend the rest of our lives together to make each other super happy and to start a family so that we can share that love and happiness with you and with each other. It's important to remember that there are so many people in the world who needs love. One day, at the right time and at the right place, you will meet someone who will love you the way Mummy and Daddy love each other. It's always important to remember that it's never a race. Just take your time."
My son listened and just said "Okay." 😅 I don't know if he understood any of that but he didn't ask anymore questions.
So, if your child had asked you that question, what would you have said? I'm really interested to know what other parents think.