Love and Other Distractions.

I have had lots of conversations about The Royal Wedding.

I have applauded and critiqued fascinators and hats in great detail.
(Really Beatrice?)
Reveled in the pomp and circumstance which is so truly British.
Marveled at the angelic choir.

Swooned over the dresses - Kate's and Pippa's.
Teared up at the intimate, stolen glances between two people in love while two billion people watched.

It has made me homesick, proud and hopeful.
Hopeful that love really does make the world go round.
Hopeful that the new Royals will return the sense of dignity and service that The Queen has but that seems to have skipped a generation or two.

I have also felt defensive of the derision. The "who cares?" attitude.
The criticism of the vast expense while people are homeless and hungry.
While I can't disagree with this sentiment - wholly, here's why I care.

Becoming a parent changes your view of the world.
You yearn for safety and peace.
You hope for ease and abundance.
You pray for good health.

The current world news is grim.
Seemingly endless natural disasters.
War.
Hunger, famine and illness.

If I can't focus on hope and joy sometimes what kind of parent will I become?
Even if children don't know exactly what is going on the world they can tell if we are happy or sad, stressed or light hearted.

I realized that what made me so happy about the wedding was shared experience.
Shared joy - with people I don't know and will never meet.

Isn't this what we yearn for in parenting?
Why we read blogs about sleep deprivation, diaper blow outs and tantrums.
We want the connection - the shared experience.

We want to feel we have community with like minds.
We want relief in the form of distraction or humour.
We want balance.

So there's my justification. Watching the Royal wedding and having a wedding party where me and my girls pranced around in white dresses and veils and ate cake - makes me a better parent.

You can't argue with that.