Sunil, I totally understand not wanting to lie, but being honest with your parents about how you feel about things such as getting married or wanting to do something else when you are in town, is also part of not lying to them.

Man, I came out to my parents nearly ten years ago, and it's had negative effects on our relationship that last to this day. But I don't regret telling them for one minute.

On a smaller scale, I had a meltdown two years ago at Christmas about the amount of time I felt I was expected to spend at my parents' house at the holidays; I felt trapped and bored. It was a fascinating exercise in family dynamics, but resulted in a clarification of expectations and needs on both sides, so that's good.

How long is your presentation supposed to run, P-C? No reason why you can't cut them loose a little early if it happens. Trust me, they won't be complaining.

Heh. It runs three hours, but they'll need time to fill out evaluations and such. I just don't want to cut them loose RIDICULOUSLY early. This course is being evaluated to be part of the curriculum, after all, so I need to make a good impression.

Packing up the laptop now. Wish me slow talking, questions I can answer, and supreme teaching success!

Good luck on the presentation, P-C. I'm sure you know this stuff backwards and forwards and you'll slow down when you have people in front of you. Also, there's no reason why you can't declare an unscheduled break. Take charge!

My mom's relationship with her own mother is so fraught that she's really good about boundaries. Except when she's not.

ION, my neighbor who went into labor last night had her baby! Welcome to the world, wee Beatrice! (Their first kid is named Benedict, so I fully expect the next two to be Viola and Sebastian.)

Presentation-ma, P-C!

Or Claudio and Hero.

Oh, ditto. I'm dealing with it right now in the form of disappointed parents who can't understand why on earth we want to move so far away from themmmmmm.

Tell them that it's the same reason that they decided to move to North Carolina half of the year.

Tell them that it's the same reason that they decided to move to North Carolina half of the year.

suh-NERK

I'll let Lewis share that with them at the appropriate moment. On the other hand, it's turned my mother's attitude around because now, knowing that Lewis' parents are kind of disappointed and angry about the move, she gets to be the reasonable and supportive parent.

Go figure.

Or Claudio and Hero.

The last time I saw the Kenneth B-something or other movie, I couldn't help thinking, it's Wilson and that Vampire chick.