What’s It Like To Be Married to Your Teenage Sweetheart?

Advertisement

Do you believe in true love? We do! Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, and we’d like to share a few love stories from couples right here in Beijing. Forget the fairy tales of princesses being rescued from castles, here’s what love in the real world looks like.

We asked couples to share their stories and to give a piece of advice on how to keep relationships alive and thriving year after year.

A few years ago I met an amazing couple whose love story warrants a Hallmark movie. Today, let's meet Tom and Clare Starobynski, a couple who met as teens.

Q

Can you tell us a bit about you and your partner?

A

We are from the USA and this is our fifth year in Beijing. We are both teachers and Tom is also a certified personal trainer.

Q

How did you meet and who made the first move?

A

We met when we were 13 years old at an Irish Christmas party. Clare sent her younger brother over to say “my sister thinks your cute.” We dated for a little bit and then broke up. We met again the following year and have been together ever since. We just celebrated our 20th wedding anniversary.

Q

What do you love the most about your partner?

A

Tom: Clare is patient, loyal, and loves deeply.
Clare: Tom is loyal, supportive, and my #1 fan.

Q

Is there something that you can’t stand about your partner? How do you handle it?

A

Clare: Not really – after all these years, we’ve learned to love one another's “faults.” We can laugh now at the things that used to drive us crazy about each other. For example, Tom always said I have the worst fashion sense and it used to annoy him. Now he just laughs and says, “that’s quite an outfit.”

Q

What’s the most valuable piece of relationship advice all couples should know?

A

Always have your partner's back, always date your significant other, and learn to love the things you don’t like about your partner. As long as your partner has the most important quality to you, that is what matters most.

Images: Clare Starobynski

Daily Poll

Do you recycle?

KEEP READING

Advertisement