Saturday, April 18, 2009

On Children and Weddings

Last night, we attended a beautiful wedding for a beautiful couple at a beautiful place. Several children we know were invited, and Big B and little b absolutely adore the bride, so we decided to make it a family affair. Our boys have had to sit through a lot of must-be-quiet events lately, and we've learned a few tricks for ensuring success.

1. Make a game out of getting ready. We like to say the word 'fancy' a lot while getting ready; fancy clothes, fancy manners, etc. It's fun to be over the top with it--when Papa got home, Big B answered the door in his fancy clothes with a semi-British accent, saying, "Welcome home, Dear Papa. Lovely evening for a wedding, don't you think?"

2. Expel energy.
Yesterday, this happened accidentally; we arrived at the wedding an hour early (my bad), but took advantage of the mistake by going to a playground. It seemed to help get a few of the wiggles out.

3. Pre-fill little tummies. If we forget to bring healthy snacks for the ride, we hear "I'm hungry!" forty-seven times during the ceremony. An obvious caveat: protein, good. Sugar, bad.

4. Bring a digital camera. This is the best trick I know for keeping Big B entertained in close and quiet proximity. Last night he snapped shots of the guests, the food, several way-too-close body parts, and these great ones: his camera duel with the photographer, and his and Papa's together-shadow.5. SuperDad. When all else fails, it's sometimes necessary to remove a little one from a situation that expects too much of him. During the vows, little b expressed, rather loudly, that he'd had enough. Papa quickly and graciously took him far enough away from the ceremony that he could be distract-ed, instead of distract-ing. It worked beautifully. Papa knows I'm a sucker for weddings, and his kindness allowed me to enjoy the sweet words of our friends. Thank you. 6. Don't forget what we came for. We talked to Big B last night about love, marriage, the parts of the ceremony that were our favorites, why people cry when they're happy, and what it must feel like for the bride and groom to have all of their friends and family together. He asked a lot of questions, we gave a lot of answers. Instead of being shhhh-ed a lot, he felt like he was there for a reason, to be a part of their special day, and was able to act respectfully.

So here's to love, to lifetimes of happiness, and to Dr. and Mrs. D. Aren't they beautiful? And Big B's version: the bride is on the left (with her fancy dress on), holding hands with her groom.

3 comments:

Liquid Pen said...

OMG...that is soooo sweet!

Angela Nash said...

Great tips on boys and weddings! Thanks for you comment on my 1st quilt. We do have very similar blog lines - I look forward to reading more of yours.

Sara said...

Great tips. Many times parents don't explain or make the event sound important for manners. I love the photos of big B's!