I attended my ex-colleague’s wedding yesterday. It was the first wedding I attended since I became a father. It made me view the momentous occasion differently.

Incidentally, both the groom and bride expressed thanks to their parents during their thank-you speeches. That in itself would not have prompted me to ask this question, but the groom expressed gratitude to his mother for quitting her job to become a full-time homemaker, all because he didn’t like the idea of going to a childcare centre. The bride thanked her dad for coming home early after work to play with her and her sister.

Since my children are in that phase of life, the words they said really struck a chord. The things we parents do during our children’s childhood may be cherished fondly for a lifetime.

So, I thought it would be good to start with the end in mind. What do you want your kids to say about you during their wedding speeches?