You want to make your parents happy? Get married!
Seriously, why do parents get so happy when their children get married? Just a few weeks ago my foster sister got married. On the eve of the wedding, just the night before, there was an unmistakable aura. The mood in the house was gloomy. You couldn't miss it. I didn't want to be part and parcel of what I thought didn't make sense but I couldn't really help it. I mean she'd literally live across the road from us, what was the big deal, why be depressed?! She wasn't going anywhere! 24 hours later we were all laughing and enjoying the evening, watching the pictures and videos shot during the whole event, it was great. My parents were especially proud and happy and having noticed it in the parents in most of the past weddings, it left me wondering, why? Why are parents especially happy at weddings? Well, atleast five reasons:
1) Its a final and definate indicator that their child has fully grown and matured.
Granted, there are many indicators of a child's maturity and growth. The physical growth, the taking up of greater responsibilities, the completion of high school and tertiary education, leaving the home, etc. But when a child gets married, the parents can pretty much rest assured that their child has fully matured. The very fact that the their child has formed a family of his/her own is testimony to the child's complete independence.
2) The prospect of grandchildren?
Need I say more? Maybe just alittle... There is obviously something gratifying about seeing one's ofspring's ofspring. Many times God pronounces posterity as a blessing to his servants (or a lack thereof as a punishment for disobedience, Isaiah 48:19). He tells Abraham that he will have as many children as the sand on the seashore or stars in the sky, Genesis 22:17.
3) It gives them a sense of achievement.
I've never raised a child but I would imagine that it is a daunting task. With the evilone working just as had to ruin the child's life as the parent is working to make something out of it, not withstanding the fact that parents make mistakes of their own, it is qiute an achievement to raise a child successfully even to a point of complete independence. If a parent has been a failure in all other spheres of life, they can throw the wedding photo of their child into their portifolio.
4) It relieves them.
These days, I feel highly indebted to my parents. I feel like I've given them enough trouble and worries that I feel its time I began the impossible task of paying them back. I am pretty sure I, along with my collegues am to blame for the grey hairs. When a child gets married, in many senses, its one less child to worry about!
5) It brings them honour.
In a world where many young people are not serious about life and are either dragging their feet to develop themselves and improve their wellbeing or messing their lives altogether, it is an honours a parent when a child makes something of themselves and achieves a point of independence and self sustainance whereby they can even wed.
Well, there you have it!
Seriously, why do parents get so happy when their children get married? Just a few weeks ago my foster sister got married. On the eve of the wedding, just the night before, there was an unmistakable aura. The mood in the house was gloomy. You couldn't miss it. I didn't want to be part and parcel of what I thought didn't make sense but I couldn't really help it. I mean she'd literally live across the road from us, what was the big deal, why be depressed?! She wasn't going anywhere! 24 hours later we were all laughing and enjoying the evening, watching the pictures and videos shot during the whole event, it was great. My parents were especially proud and happy and having noticed it in the parents in most of the past weddings, it left me wondering, why? Why are parents especially happy at weddings? Well, atleast five reasons:
1) Its a final and definate indicator that their child has fully grown and matured.
Granted, there are many indicators of a child's maturity and growth. The physical growth, the taking up of greater responsibilities, the completion of high school and tertiary education, leaving the home, etc. But when a child gets married, the parents can pretty much rest assured that their child has fully matured. The very fact that the their child has formed a family of his/her own is testimony to the child's complete independence.
2) The prospect of grandchildren?
Need I say more? Maybe just alittle... There is obviously something gratifying about seeing one's ofspring's ofspring. Many times God pronounces posterity as a blessing to his servants (or a lack thereof as a punishment for disobedience, Isaiah 48:19). He tells Abraham that he will have as many children as the sand on the seashore or stars in the sky, Genesis 22:17.
3) It gives them a sense of achievement.
I've never raised a child but I would imagine that it is a daunting task. With the evilone working just as had to ruin the child's life as the parent is working to make something out of it, not withstanding the fact that parents make mistakes of their own, it is qiute an achievement to raise a child successfully even to a point of complete independence. If a parent has been a failure in all other spheres of life, they can throw the wedding photo of their child into their portifolio.
4) It relieves them.
These days, I feel highly indebted to my parents. I feel like I've given them enough trouble and worries that I feel its time I began the impossible task of paying them back. I am pretty sure I, along with my collegues am to blame for the grey hairs. When a child gets married, in many senses, its one less child to worry about!
5) It brings them honour.
In a world where many young people are not serious about life and are either dragging their feet to develop themselves and improve their wellbeing or messing their lives altogether, it is an honours a parent when a child makes something of themselves and achieves a point of independence and self sustainance whereby they can even wed.
Well, there you have it!
