The Artist Formerly Known As Prince Charming
This one’s for every woman who’s still waiting for her Prince Charming to show up. Maybe he just got lost and is too stubborn to ask for directions.
Or maybe he doesn’t exist.
But I can tell you who does exist—and believe me, he stands head and shoulders above His Highness.
The Myth of Prince Charming
When we’re young, we’re sold the idea of finding Prince Charming. He’s handsome, perfectly mannered, and probably rich. Then some of us get older and trade that dream for The Bad Boy. He’s mysterious, edgy, and thrilling—until we “fix” him and turn him into husband material. Spoiler alert: He doesn’t exist either.
Who Does Exist
Real men exist. Imperfect men. Men who love deeply, show up when it matters, and make you laugh until your stomach hurts. They’re not riding in on a white horse—they may be rich; it’s not the point after all. But most likely they’re not. They’re probably driving a minivan or a pickup truck. And sometimes, they’re already sitting on your couch.
A friend of mine once ranted on social media about her husband playing too many video games. A week later, she posted a photo of him lying on the bathroom floor next to their sick child at 2 a.m. That’s real love.
Another woman I knew left her husband because “the spark was gone.” She married someone else. He cheated. Twice. Now she’s divorced again. Sometimes the spark isn’t gone—it’s just buried under laundry and bills.
My Prince?
A few weeks ago, my husband texted me his idea for date night:
“Go see snowmen, grab a McRib, make music together, and listen to music.”
Now, before you picture us wandering around a frozen tundra, let me explain: “Snowmen” is a Christmas destination where families drive through a local neighborhood of giant, glowing snowmen displays. It’s festive, fun, and a little quirky—kind of like us.
Would Prince Charming have suggested that? Nope. But I loved it. We didn’t even get to the music part. Because I started talking about this blog article and asked him for his advice. He read it through twice, and we had a deep discussion followed by a silly one. This happens regularly. We were on the couch across from our Nativity on the mantle, and we ended up laughing about the Three Wise Men and their gift choices.
Here’s how it went down:
Bobby: “What’s with the Three Kings? They were gone for a long time. How are they supposed to have a good relationship with their wives? Where were the Three Queens? Why didn’t they go with their husbands? And what’s with Mr. Baltazar? What kind of a gift is myrrh, anyway? There are a lot of Jesus’ words recorded in the Bible and never once—never once!!—does Jesus mention that He got myrrh for his birthday!”
Me: “If Mrs. Baltazar had gone to the manger, she would have taken diapers.”
We laughed so hard! It’s like that sometimes between best friends, yeah?
Here’s the Truth
Prince Charming isn’t real. Bad boys are real, but they’re trouble. The man who will love your kids, stay faithful, and make you laugh over McDonald’s fries? He’s real. And he might already be in your life.
So, keep your eyes open. Maybe he’s the guy you’ve overlooked. Maybe he’s the man you married years ago. Or maybe he’s still out there—but when you find him, don’t expect a crown. Expect loyalty, laughter, and love.
And Another Thing
Maybe he’s Michael Grimm—the soulful singer who won America’s Got Talent in 2010. OK, probably not. But he performed “You Don’t Know Me,” a song about a man who loves a woman deeply, but she doesn’t even realize it. Those lyric hit hard because it’s real life for so many relationships. Sometimes, the love you’re searching for is already right in front of you—you just don’t see it.
So, before you keep chasing Prince Charming or the next “perfect” guy, pause. Look at the man who makes you laugh over McDonald’s fries, who reads every blog post twice, and who wonders why the Three Kings didn’t bring diapers. That’s the guy who will love you fiercely and faithfully. That’s the guy worth noticing.
Here’s another thing I wrote about using time to discern if someone is The One:
Fools Rush In
14 Comments
Eddie
I’m more like Shrek than Prince Charming! I’m fat, live in the swamp and spend most of my time hanging around with a jackass.
Lori
As I recall, Eddie, being unlike Prince Charming only helped him in the end.
Rhonda Ficca
Always enjoy your writings Lori. They are so open and honest and refreshing! God bless you and Bobby.
Lori
Thank you, Rhonda! I really appreciate you reading.
Sarah Pursell
Love this truth! I remember when I stopped focusing on finding someone and turned my focus to Jesus. I met Matthew shortly after!
Lori
Wise advice.
Jason
Good read!!
Lori
Thank you, Jason.
Kim Smith
Very awesome and true! I’ve definitely met my Prince Charming and he’s perfect to me ❤️
Lori
I’m very happy to hear that, Kim. Thanks for reading!
Katie Martin
Your relationship has always been an inspiration to me!!! I can hear you both laughing at the diaper comment!!
Lori
Yesssss, far more laughing than the joke warranted. Haha!
Megan
I love this title! I have thought for a long time that the Prince Charming model has negatively affected people’s expectations about relationships, especially ones that go on past the honeymoon period. Also – why do princess movies always end with the wedding or first kiss? It’s as if these movies/books/stories/etc are telling us that nothing interesting will happen to us once we’ve committed ourselves to someone. But you have a whole lifetime of story that goes on after that. I want a disney queen movie! I had to throw my prince charming expectations out the window and I’ve struggled with what’s reasonable to expect from just one person, even if that person is my favorite person in the world. Also, I’d never thought about the Three Queens before and how ridiculous incense is as a gift on a practical level. hahahaha. I wonder what diapers looked like back then.
Lori
A disney queen movie! Brilliant! I can’t even begin to explain just how much life goes on after that wedding or first kiss. (Hmm, well maybe I can. Future post idea?) I think couples spend far too much attention on getting everything just right for the wedding day and far too little on the ones thereafter. If we get these days right, believe me, EVERYTHING is 100 TIMES MORE EXCITING! By the way, Bobby made up this post title. His are all the clever ones.