Forget peer pressure, elder pressure is insane

I guess it was bound to happen. Me and the mini-familia are next up on the docket for all the marriage/children blah-di-blah.

We noticed it on Christmas Eve. Watching Lana open her presents my grandma commented on how she was getting big now and that soon we'd need a new baby around to take over the cute duties.

Then she got on Spidermonkey's case about finding a girl to marry so he could have kids and carry on his family name (he's an only child.)

So weird that she'd rag on Spidermonkey and not her own grandchildren.

Then numerous relatives teased Weird Kid before he left last weekend...telling him to find a nice Filipina to bring back home and marry. Oy vey.

I thought I was flying under the radar. Here was all the family, piling the pressure on those younger than me to get married and make babies...until my grandaunt came over to visit.

Grandaunt(GA): Leah, how old are you now?
Leah: I'm 26.
GA: Oh, you are one year younger than I was when I got married.
Leah *thinking "and so it begins..."*: Oh.
GA: My aunties kept telling me: "GA, pray your novenas...so that you will find someone to marry!" You know...a lot of my aunties, your ancestors, grew up to be old maids!
Leah: Yeah, grandma has told me that already. She's also told me about the lesbian auntie.

This took the heat off me momentarily since it turns out that she had never told my aunt (who was there while all this was going down. I don't know how she dealt with my grandaunt like this...my aunt married at an older age.) about our "tomboy" ancestor. Apparently the tomboy had 3 girlfriends...which my aunt and I joked was better than living to be an old maid (not that I swing that way, mind you.) But my grandaunt did not lose her focus.

GA: Yes, my aunties always told me "pray your novenas so that you will find someone to marry!" (She must have repeated this 3 times or more. I don't believe in praying for a husband, though.) Do you have a boyfriend?
Leah: No, I don't.
GA: Why not?
Leah *exasperated and ready to push buttons*: They're not worth it!

And with that my dad, who had been watching the game on tv studiously ignoring what was going on around him, sensed I was ready to sass my grandaunt and distracted my grandaunt with another subject.

My family is more like My Big Fat Greek Wedding than I ever knew. Except they're not really promoting that I marry another Filipino...probably 'cuz they know that's not really my style. That's more something my brother would do.

But holy the things they come up with! Praying novenas so that God will find you a spouse? Bringing back a fiancee from the "motherland?" I had a conversation with my mom about all this nonsense that's being slung on me and my mini-familia. At least she agreed with me. There's no sense "looking" (I am completely anti-"looking") 'cuz that's like forcing yourself to make a relationship out of something that isn't there. Maybe my mom is more of a romantic than I thought. I always thought she was the no-nonsense, practicality-beats-all one out of my parents.