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Before I had a kid, I thought all children were noisy, messy, smelly, thoughtless poop machines. After I had a kid, those suspicions were confirmed: My son is a noisy, messy, smelly, thoughtless poop machine. But he?s mine, and he?s a miracle: laugh-out-loud funny, a great hugger and one heck of a dancer. So, the idea of getting a wedding invitation stating that he isn?t welcome makes me want to mail back a worthless penny as a wedding present. After all, not inviting him isn?t just a rejection of him but of me and my ability to parent him.
Increasingly, couples are opting for kid-free nuptials, and parents are reacting badly?very badly. One couple?s baby-free wedding is ?destroying? his family, while another couple encountered a serious backlash when the bride asked for ?adults only? on the invitation. This guy thinks you should definitely invite his kids to your wedding, while this childless woman thinks guests should just follow instructions?there isn?t much of a middle ground here. When I got married in my mid-20s, I was relieved that none of our close friends had children and family members travelling from other provinces opted to leave their small kids at home. The horrifying prospect that a baby would?gasp?cry through our ceremony or dinner or our first dance was something I didn?t have to worry about. Now that I have a toddler, I see the issue more clearly?and from both sides. From a practical perspective, kids are total chaos, antithetical to wha...