Giving up control
This blog is not about our family weddings, but something deeper. Some recent weddings have taught me much - about myself and about our culture. I’m taking a bit of a risk by sharing some family stories, but let me reassure my family at the outset: my intention is not to embarrass anyone or to air our dirty laundry in public but use these events to reflect on the culture around us. The question I’ve been grappling with, after attending a few family weddings over the past three years, is this: Why do fathers seem to have a harder time than mothers in letting their daughters go? Or is this just my perspective as a man - that we struggle more? One thing I’ve realised is that men often have a harder time giving up control than women do. We are - broadly generalising here - control freaks. These days, I find myself advising men my age or younger, (mostly baby boomers) who have daughters yet to be married, to watch the movie Father of the Bride . I watched it before my...