No offense, Mom?

To what extent do you use your parents' relationship as a model for your own?

I thought about the question after reading a college student's confession that she doesn't want her parents' relationship. Why? It seems to fall into the realm of "best friends," rather than "passionate love," she writes.

I have many 20- and 30-something friends who think along the same lines. I also have many friends who idealize their parents' marriage and vow to duplicate that kind of love.

I fit somewhere in the middle.

I think that no matter how old I am, I'll never be able to see their marriage on a completely adult level. I'll always be their child, the one who wants them to live happily ever after.

In analyzing your parents' relationship, it's important to remember you're only seeing them during a relatively isolated block of their time together.

That said, I'm blessed to have parents who haven't gotten divorced, speak to each other on a daily basis and can be in a car together without causing a roadside hazard.

Exhibit A isn't too shabby after all.