The Baptism

My little guy had his Baptism last Sunday, I’m only getting around to posting about it now. This is our last Baptism and our first proper party afterwards, it was the service in the local catholic church and then food in the local foodie pub and back to ours for drinks and more nibbles.

It started badly, getting two adults and three little people ready to leave the house for a big day out is not easy, especially when the little guy was being dressed in our family’s very own polyester heirloom, or the amazingly sweaty and slippy christening gown I first wore 34 years ago. They say 9 week old babies aren’t very aware of their environment……I have to disagree, he was disgusted when we put him into the thing, he squirmed and slid about in it. It was a sunny day last Sunday, fifty of our family and friends were gathered at the door to the church, we milled around for a while, saying hello, and showing off our little bundle of joy, who was getting more sweaty and slippery by the minute.

Eventually we wandered into the church to be told by the priest that we weren’t in the book for baptism, luckily there were another couple and their baby scheduled so we were shoved onto their bill! There were five in their party……fifty in ours! To say they were a bit swamped is such an understatement!

Now I’ve had dealings with this priest before, he is outspoken, loves to hear himself speak, he’s already ruined my older son’s communion for me, oh, and Christmas mass! So when he took off his glasses started to pace up and down the alter I knew it was about to kick off! He began the first of several lectures, informing us that as catholics we were the only religion who loves children (I didn’t think they were advertising that fact now), I could feel my Jewish Princess (you know you are babe) friend shift in her seat, I was waiting for her to tell the priest that Jews love their children too, as she said afterwards,” We love our children, we smother them in gold!”

Then he continued to tell us we didn’t deserve this sacrament for our child as we weren’t devout catholics. The only reason I’ve had my weenies baptised is because my parents believe in it and if I didn’t get them baptised they would. Plain and simple. We’ve never used the baptism as an excuse to have a party, until now! The lectures were so bad it was all that everyone talked about for the rest of the day, young and old, even my folks thought he was extreme!

After the service, we popped into the sacristy to collect the baptismal cert, and my hubby handed the priest fifty Euro, “for the parish, father”, then he didn’t think we were “grabby, sub-human people”, no, pocketed the cash and then said how lucky our children were to have us as parents…..who’s the hypocrite?

We headed back to a room in our favorite foodie pub, the lamb koftas were fab! I’m sure some people started to drink then but the hubby and I were staying sober. While in the pub the ten or so kids invited had a ball, I’d made each of them a little goodie bag of toys, to keep them amused and they really had a great time.

My dad had just turned 60 a few days before the baptism so I’d arranged for a huge birthday cake for him, but being my dad, being a cranky old man, looking for attention, he left the party, refused to come back! So with my mum upset and embarrassed, she slipped away. I wanted to kill my dad, family rows and drama go hand in hand with celebrations, that’s why we didn’t have a big wedding.

Once we got back to the house, even before I’d slipped out of my heels I’d downed a bottle of beer! Then we headed to the garden, the crazy kids, about six of them ran riot in the garden, in and out of the tent while we sat and drank and had nibbles. There were only about eight of our favorite people, it was relaxed and chilled, it was a lovely way to celebrate the birth of our son!

So maybe the moral of the story is that the modern family is the friends that we choose for ourselves and that the way we live our lives and our friendships and relationships are what our children will look to for guidance? I don’t know, but I do know they are a much better example that a hypocritical group of old men.