Watching the Royal Wedding with Reluctant Kiddos

Image credit: AP via Gawker

So I got up at 5 a.m. fully expecting to park myself in front of the TV in the family room and watch the Will and Kate wedding by myself, just me, my bowl of cereal and my cup of Earl Grey tea.

Then at about 6 when the ceremony was beginning and Kate was walking down the aisle, I decided that I just had to go get The Girl, even though she usually wakes up at 6:30 on school days in order to get out of the house by 7:15 to catch the bus. You see The Girl loves to sketch. All the time. And she mostly sketches pictures of women in various gowns and get-ups that spring from the creative recesses of her mind.

And as Kate was strolling down that aisle, in the midst of all those people – including the women wearing the funky hats (like Sarah Ferguson’s daughter whose hat seemed inspired by Dr. Seuss) – I thought there’s no way she would’ve wanted to miss it.

But as it turns out, dragging a 12-and-a-half-year-old sporty gal who disdains “girly” duds even though she draws them all the time, wasn’t such a hot idea after all.

“How long IS this?” she whined, very grumpy as I attempted to rouse her interests in the events.

In her exhaustion, she proceeded to provide comic relief, which was sorely lacking in the media coverage.

“I want a hat,” I quipped, truly in awe by the coolness of the hats and wondering why they’re not in fashion here in the States.

“Don’t get one!” my daughter replied emphatically.

Soon after her twin brother showed up, The Girl fled the room, thoroughly bored. Meanwhile, I asked The Eldest Boy what he thought about the wedding. He took one look at the TV and said, “Too royal.”

As one of the many ministers spoke during the service, a kid asked, “Isn’t that the guy from The Gilmore Girls?” The child was, of course, referring to Headmaster Charleston from Chilton Academy where Rory Gilmore went to high school.

The Girl popped back into the room while she nibbled on a toasted bagel. “What’s going on NOW?” she asked.

“More singing,” I said. She rolled her eyes.

By the time The Girl left for school, she admonished me not to watch royal coverage all day, but not before informing The Spouse that should she ever get married, she wants to wear a soccer uniform to the wedding.

Image credit: Associated Press via Gawker.