Lindsay Kus FOX 17 News

11:13 p.m. EST, November 8, 2011
GRAND RAPIDS, Mich—

In this world, there's no shortage of people falling in love. Whether it lasts or not, the idea of love and companionship is what keeps us going. A lot of our ideas of what love and marriage should be, start when we are just small children.

To get a refresher on the basics, FOX 17 headed to the classroom.

Potter's House in Grand Rapids opened up their classroom of kindergarten and first graders to give us some insights on the complex topics of marriage and love.

Here's what the class of 5 and 6 -year-olds had to say:

"I think first a boy just says will you be my girlfriend and then the boy asks the girl out and then they get married."- Ivy

"Like a marriage is what you do when you get married to have a baby. It means you love each other and be nice"- Harper

"It is when a boy takes a girl for their wife because they love each other and because it's a good pick." -Jacob

"I think marriage means you like her or you like him and you want to marry him and love each other forever." -Abraham.

"Marriage and love is a family and having a baby." -Aeriana.

"That you keep them for the rest of your lives you love them so much." -Matea

"They go on dates. It's pretty gross."- Zeke.

"When you love a stuffed animal you hug them and marriage is when you kiss someone when you are getting married."-Aniya

Dr. Michael Wolff, a neuropsychologist with BRAINS (Behavioral Resources And Institute for Neuropsychological Services) in Grand Rapids says youngsters often have a fairytale idea of marriage.

"They usually don't have an image of the future, so everything is kind of in the here and now and a lot of times they have that fantasy," said Dr. Wolff.

Since fifty percent of marriages still end in divorce, he says having that blissful view of a family can come with risks and sometimes disappointment down the road. Children are willing to forgive and forget quickly.

"One of the things that's most refreshing to learn from any child is to see how much they can endure in a relationship and how much they are still willing to make amends even if things aren't perfect," he said.

He says if a couple is having trouble in the marriage, it's important to recognize that your children are likely to sense the tension, even if you don't fight around them.

"You don't have to talk with them about the personal details of what is occurring in the marriage, rather educate them more generally that sometimes people struggle and it is important to keep talking and try your best to worth through things as best as you can," said Wolff.

"It is alright to let them know you are struggling, sad frustrated, scared, but reassure them that they will still be looked after and will be staying with mom or dad."

While a child's idea of marriage may be more Disney and less realistic, their thoughts on love can be a helpful guide for the adults.

"If we all use those messages from kids, how blissful the world would be," said Wolff.