Phew! We just got back from a trip to Pennsylvania for Tomas’s wedding, and it was quite the whirlwind. The wedding itself was a great success. Rain was in the forecast, but it somehow held off the whole time until the pictures and cleanup were over, so that bullet was dodged. Tomas seemed ecstatic the whole weekend, and it was great to spend a bit more time with him and Caroline before they got married.
In the aftermath, people keep asking me what it feels like to have a married child. While I get that it’s a significant step, it also doesn’t really feel like it’s one that has a huge impact on me, personally. Don’t get me wrong: I’m very happy for him and excited to see what the future holds as they start their new family. That said, the actual impact it has on me isn’t nearly as big as past “milestone events” in my life, like getting married, going to college, starting a job, etc. It’s also less than what happened when Tomas left for his mission.
Which makes sense, right? Getting married is a big personal change for the bride and groom, but it’s a change that’s mainly limited to those two people.
Of course, the fact that he got married 25 years (to the day) after Denisa and I got married certainly made me reflect on the me from 25 years ago and the me now, so maybe the milestone isn’t so much that something drastically different happened to me, but rather something more like what happens when your car goes from 99,999 miles to 100,000. It’s a sign that yes, I’m definitely older, and another reminder that many of the big changes I’ve had over the years are going to be ones my kids are having more and more instead of me. If I go back far enough on the blog, in a few years I’ll be able to read about events I was experiencing firsthand at the time that my kids are experiencing now. That’s definitely an odd feeling.
But as far as my answer to “how does it feel having a married child?” I’ll say it feels about the same as having an engaged child. Go figure. 🙂