Good News from Across The Pond

I thought I would give you a quick update on the Wong family situation.

There’s still no news from Donny’s parents – they are still not using the ‘W’ word at all – but the really good news is that Donny’s brother, Jimmy, is planning to come over and join us on the big day. So if you’re going to be with us on the day, make sure you say hello and help him to feel really welcome. It’s so awesome that he’s going to be there.

Also on the subject of Donny’s family, we got this thank you card through the mail a few weeks ago from Donny’s nephews:

It’s still so weird and cool to me that part of this whole marriage deal is that as well as gaining a husband, I gain a whole new family of in-laws – including two young nephews. And full credit to Jimmy and his wife Sharon for making the effort to really help me feel included in the wider Wong clan. To be addressed as ‘Uncle Chris’ is just awesome – it shows that Jimmy and Sharon have recently done a bit of explaining to the kids about the full nature of our relationship.

It is interesting that it’s only really since Donny and I got engaged that the thank you cards started coming addressed to us both. What that demonstrates is the cultural power of the institution of marriage – by getting engaged Donny and I have communicated to our families and the wider world that ‘we come as a set and that isn’t going to change’. And people have to decide how they are going to respond to that: Donny’s parents’ response so far has been to try and ignore it, but Jimmy and Sharon have chosen to embrace it. And that’s awesome.