With a big extended family it's not so weird (though still, ordering a shy or non-huggy kid to hug isn't made of awesome), but I found it uncomfortable to (1) go someplace for a Buffy-viewing evening at which there was a rotating group of 10-25 people, some of whom the kid had never seen before; (2) watch the kid be scolded and punished in front of a roomful of near-strangers all evening for infractions ranging from not cleaning his plate to peeing in his diaper instead of using the toilet to not being silent during Buffy (he was 2 1/2 at the time); and then (3) see him forced to perform like a trained seal of baby love and hug all those semi-strangers goodbye and call them Auntie and Uncle Whoever.
Some parents treat everyone like family (and God knows some kids are longing for the hugging but just too shy to do it without a nudge), but some parents treat their kids like accessories. They want a good smacking.
Ugh for having to go to the ER, ita.
Oh, and Kathy, I agree with you about Uchenna and Joyce.
I don't think that they were that interesting of a team, either--if they're looking for a minority team that won, they should have gone with Chip and Kim instead of the relative nonentities that are Uchenna and Joyce.
Yeah, it's not like when Big Brother brought back Evil Doctor Will!!
OMG, it is scary windy outside. Good thing I'm inside!
Were either of you raised Catholic? Will anyone be hurt if you're not married in a Catholic church?
It's Bob's thing. He's Catholic, and I think his big thing is the whole formal ceremony and everything. I don't care either way, so if it's the one thing he wants, I'm inclined to go along with it. Not sure it'll be possible to get counseling in NY for a Phoenix wedding when his parish is in Dayton...and is Eastern Rite.
and is Eastern Rite.
Huh -- I'd never heard of that before I just googled it.
Anyway, any clergy person who's going to marry you is going to want to do at least minimal discussing/counseling, but you may be able to get away with a meeting in person when you're out there planning stuff, and then some over the phone. At least, that's how I've heard my father do it.
I just ordered Chinese delivery from a brand new (to me) restaurant, and now I am watching Perkins the cat watching the wall!
I have such a wild, wild life.
Wallybee and I had some counselling with her pastor. It was all quite helpful, and on the whole pretty comforting (we communicate well, are good at dealing with problems and disagreements, and are pretty realistic. And besotted.) During the course of it, he did mention that because I'm not a Christian, he would have refused to marry us, if it had been relevant, which it wasn't, as we're getting married in China. (Incidentally, we'll have a church wedding in China, and their only concern was whether we were living together.)
Not that this is at all helpful. Except that I can report that there's a church in China who apparently would turn you away.
