My lips pucker involuntarily whenever I look at it, knowing I could have been there and that the clearest item in view is the hat I loaned Laura, my daughter-in-law, who was a witness for the happy pair.
But don’t think I’m bitter. I’m more aggravated than aggrieved as the new Mr and Mrs Gerard Lewis gave Peter and me every chance to attend.
Katie said Gerard’s convinced we wouldn’t go because we resent him for being 15 years older than her and a staunch Methodist. He won’t be persuaded that it’s an internal family argument because Katie must always have her own way.
She says that as an independent woman of 34 and a junior partner in a successful accountancy practice, she does not need our permission every time she needs to blow her nose!
But Peter and I maintain it’s our right as parents to make her wedding; have a say in the guest list, venue and food.
On the day of our row, she made things worse, first by announcing that the wedding was about her, not us. Then - quite nastily - she reminded us that she and Gerry were paying for everything themselves and that many parents would be thrilled to be chief guests rather than anxious hosts at a party celebrating the most important day of their daughter’s life.
Some weeks later, she sent us a glorious bouquet and another invitation to the ‘do’ but we didn’t respond. We wanted her to visit us to talk about it. Instead, when we met by chance in the street near the grocer, she said they were entitled at least to an acknowledgement of their gift and invitation. This would have been the sort of good manners we had taught her! Cheeky puss! Fancy my little girl talking to me like that!
In the end, wanting to do right, we sent her a cheque for £25.00 with a note signed “love from Mum and Dad.”
Now we’ll let her get on with her life without any help from us. Not even if things get rough; which they will. No-one gets away scot-free. Nowhere; no way.
Natalie Wood
(Copyright, Natalie Irene Wood – 23 June 2012)
2 comments:
I do think I'm on the side of the parents here. Being independent is important but still keeping a good relationship with the parents is always of help.
Thanks for dropping by - and continuing the debate - always important in a democracy!
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