What is the world coming to?

What follows is pure, unadultarated rant. There may or may not be cogent musings on the state of society, children, and/or the family.

Hubby's best friend is getting married in December. We've known about the wedding for almost a year, and since before most people. My daughter has been very excited about it, since this friend is one of her favorite adopted uncles. We've been very excited about it, and Hubby is going to be the best man.

I talked to said friend's mother today, ironing out some of the details. She dropped a BOMB on me. It has been decided that children will not be allowed at the wedding or the reception. None. Not even 18 year old high schoolers. The flower girl and ring bearer are going to leave the sanctuary after they do their thing. The reasoning? Children are disruptive and a wedding is a sacrament.

And, here's the clincher, as far as I can tell, this is all at the request of the bride's mother. That's right, the groom thinks its a bad idea. The bride is indifferent. But, the mother-of-the-bride and the church-supplied wedding planner both think it's a great idea.

I cannot even begin to express how angry this makes me. If they don't want my children to be a part of their ceremony, then they don't want me either. We are a package. It's not even technically a formal wedding, it's at 5:30. Miss Manners (and I know because of what uniforms the military authorizes for what time of day) says that formal weddings have to start no earlier than 6:30 and that's pushing it. 6:00 is formal for cocktails, and 7:00 is formal for everything else (weddings always start on the bottom of the hour, funerals at the top).

And, okay, kids are disruptive, but high schoolers? What the heck? I could see the argument for the 10 and under crowd, *maybe*, but how many highschoolers do you know who would disrupt a wedding?

And, the grooms family is all Catholic. I've never seen a Catholic church with more than a cry room, and they believe Jesus Christ to be physically present in the sanctuary, for Pete's sake. I'm pretty sure the kids on that side know how to behave in church.

And, what kind of way is it to start a family by excluding children? It's just sympomatic of our society, though. Children are an encumberance. And, children don't know how to behave in church, because most of them have never been. Add that to parents who have no clue as to what acceptable behavior is, and it almost makes a sick kind of sense.

And these people are professing orthodox Christians, I mean, the wedding planner is on the church staff! What is that saying to the world about the value of children? I don't even know what to say. I could just spit nails.