The secret of couples that last

Series A boy a girl is back this Monday on ICI Télé for four new episodes. Guy and Sylvie have been together for 30 years, have two children, and are about to leave the suburbs to return to Montreal. But how do couples manage to last? Meeting with three inspiring duos who have stood the test of time and who have always been in love for more than 25 years.

The will to last

“Awe. We are very admiring of each other, it’s one of the secrets to last, because we still admire each other, 29 years later, ”says Josélito Michaud, looking at Véronique Béliveau. “What an amazing singer! I’m still swooning over her she was so amazing on the show Masked singers ! he says.

This mutual trust and the great complicity unite them. “The first person I call, happy or unhappy, is Véronique. At the end of a day, I always look forward to talking to him, ”says the host and producer.

“I would say that Véronique is easier to live with than me. She has easy happiness, it doesn’t take much for her to be happy, ”he says. “I’m calmer, but I can get angry,” replies Véronique. “She has a lot of character! “replies Josélito in turn, laughing.

They met for the first time in 1992 in Matane. Josélito Michaud was then promotion director of a shopping center where Véronique Béliveau was invited to sing. They crossed paths several times thereafter, but it was in 1994 that the couple was formed. “At that time, it was clear that she was the woman of my life, but I was careful not to tell her too quickly, she was my teenage idol, I was 29, she was 39. years. She admits to me that she doesn’t want children, and I told her that I didn’t want any either, but it wasn’t true…”, he recalls.

A few years later, Véronique Béliveau, 44, has a desire for a child. After a miscarriage, the couple decides to adopt in Vietnam. “I was 47 when we adopted Antoine, and 14 months later, we adopted Yasmeena, they are now 20 and 22 years old. It completely changed our life,” she says.

Stability is a very important element for the couple. “I was an abandoned child, so it changes all my relationships in life. I swore to myself that if one day I had children, I would do everything to ensure that they had the greatest stability, it was so visceral for me. So, our little quibbles, we settle them, because we promised ourselves to offer stability to our children until they are 18 years old, ”explains Josélito Michaud. He knew it wouldn’t be easy.

Over the years, the couple have been careful not to be just parents. “When I tell myself I miss us it’s time to meet again. »

Josélito Michaud and Véronique Béliveau will take another step in their lives this summer, as they will put their house in Boucherville, which they have lived in for 22 years, up for sale. “We want other things. The older we get, the more we want lightness, because this house requires a lot of maintenance. Simplify things and enjoy life,” he says.

And their children? Are they inspired by their relationship? “Our daughter seems to be a great lover, and she confided to me that she would like to be in a couple that lasts a long time, our son too. We are not a perfect couple, but a couple who love each other. And we have a desire to last even longer, ”concludes Josélito.

The essential sense of humor

The secret to lasting? “The sense of humor”, answers Valérie. “Knowing how to laugh at yourself too,” she adds with a big smile, looking at her husband, Martin.

Valérie and Martin were studying at the same CEGEP where they met, but it was at the Université de Sherbrooke that they really met. “We lived in the same university residence, on the same floor, and that’s where we started dating,” Martin explains.

Thirty-four years in a relationship and three children later, they are not afraid of the empty nest syndrome, on the contrary.

“We love them, our children. We can’t imagine living without them, but in the end, they leave the house very naturally and they are delighted too,” says Martin.

Good communication within a couple is essential, according to Valérie. “You have to learn to communicate well, because very often, little things can go wrong. As a couple, you have to make compromises, choose your battles, and not go to bed before having settled a dispute! »

Valerie admits that she needs peace in the house. “I am a teacher in the social universe in 1^D secondary. I teach teenagers and I need silence on my way home! “I have the advantage of being compared to teenagers, so I pass the test!” I’m less annoying than his students, I’m soothing! “replies her husband, Martin.

What Valérie was able to observe is that adolescence can be a hard time to go through within the couple. “During this period, there is really more tension within the couple. We don’t always think the same way on all kinds of subjects, there are a lot of irritants, questions, changes, which leads to questioning, and that often coincides with the midlife crisis,” notes Valerie. “I’m more conservative about some things,” admits Martin.

“My parents divorced when I was 3 years old, and I knew that I wanted to succeed where my parents had failed, I wanted to provide my children with a stable, united family. Maybe I’m more resilient for this reason? asks Valerie. She remembers that her daughter, who has a lover whose parents are separated, said to her: my united family life is boring! “And I answered him: exactly! It’s perfect ! she says.

“We want to grow old together, we realize that we can count on each other, all with humor,” concludes Valérie.

Projects that unite

“We have so many projects,” exclaim Raja and Emmanuel, very close friends. Maybe that’s the secret of their happiness. “Having common projects, and going in the same direction,” says Raja. “Projects like crossing India on foot, buying land in Quebec and building small huts there,” she thinks. “Buying a ruined house in Italy. We fix it up for a year, we resell it, we change countries and we start again! It’s for our retirement! “says Emmanuel.

They met in 1997 during a party, and it is the passion for travel that brought them together. “I was working as a doorman at Café Campus and I was invited to a party which took place at Raja and his roommates’, says Emmanuel. “He arrived with his crate of beers, and we talked on the stairs, it must have been 4 a.m. and we told each other about our trips,” continues Raja.

From the start of their relationship, the couple traveled all over the world.

Raja and Emmanuel have two children aged 17 and 15. Like all couples, they have gone through more difficult times, such as when they bought their first building in Hochelaga-Maisonneuve when their first child was born. “There were hidden defects. I had to change the roof, disinfect the house, have the sale cancelled, what hell,” Emmanuel recalls.

Raja admits to having difficulty with the routine, she who loves adventure. So from time to time, the couple treated themselves to a night in a hotel without the children. “When we became parents, she was afraid of not being able to live intensely, so I offered her a canoe and the course of the rivers of Quebec. It’s not because we have children that we’re going to stop travelling, ”thinks Emmanuel.

But how do they resist the test of time?

“Being able to count on the other is fundamental. I had two leg operations. I was out of work for a while and I know I can count on Raja,” replies Emmanuel.

Raja and Emmanuel find that many of their friends have grown apart over the years. “It hurts to see couples we love separate. Our daughter, when she was little, said to us: why don’t you do like all parents, separate? »

“I know I want to spend the rest of my life with him, grow old with him! “says Raja.

” Me too ! », Answers Emmanuel.