That's NOT What She Told Me

During the week or so that The Girl was home from school for her spring break in March, I remember her talking with me about how she'd like to open her pending mission call.  I understood her to mean that she'd like to just have her dad, brother and me join her in in salt Lake, where we could collect her very best friend from school at the University of Utah, and have dinner together where she'd open her call.  she then could call all the people she loves and tell them on the phone herself or Facebook the news to the world.

So once she submitted the completed paperwork, I send a courtesy email to the extended family that she preferred not to have a party (like her cousins who are currently serving) but that she'd call them to tell them her good news.  Apparently, this didn't sit well with the family.

The day after I sent that, GG barked at me that his family was VERY upset about not being invited to  the party and that they were indeed coming with us to see her open this call.  From his message--which I received loud and clear--HIS daughter told him she wanted all the extended family there and essentially turned this into a party-away-from-home.

That certainly wasn't the message I had heard from the prospective missionary, herself.  But I'm the mom.  So what do I know.

Consequently, last night I was informed that now the situation is this:  When the calling comes to her (she requested delivery to her mail in Logan) we will make arrangements to have one grandma meet us and drive to Layton--to SuperKate's family's home--where other siblings-in-law will meet us, and Kate's dad will feed everyone and The Girl will open her mission call.

Wait.  What?!?

Yes.  Now the party is a someone else's family's place--and don't get me wrong.  We LOVE SuperKate.  But this just didn't seem normal when I heard the plan.  Yes.  Now the extended family will all be there watching her open this thing.  Friends, too, are apparently invited from hither and yon as well.

And everyone is seemingly going to be there except any of my family or GG's dad and step-mom (who live in Georgia).  I seriously doubt The Girl will think that her aunt, my sister, lives in Ogden which is only a short jaunt north of Layton and could easily be there if she was invited.  but I told all the extended family that this would be private thing for her.  And now it isn't at all what I was told she wanted.

Maybe I am selfish here, but I was hoping for the more private, immediate family set up.  I was hoping The Boy would really feel a part of this and get a sense of the contagious missionary spirit which would only encourage him to start seriously considering this for himself in a couple short years.  I was hoping for myself to have a moment with my daughter for her to feel the magnitude of this calling from her Heavenly Father to serve and teach His children wherever in the world she is sent, and have her feel the Holy Ghost confirm her calling to her in a quiet, penetrating way only the Spirit can do.

Now I feel it is going to turn into a circus.  So many "mission openings" have become loud, raucous events where the Spirit is seemingly an afterthought.  I worry that she will be called to a place that she never even imagined and is disappointed by that and will face the assignment with dozens of people looking on in expectation.  I worry that she will have some sort of emotional outburst, of any kind, since that is really not like her, and she'll be embarrassed by the obvious emotional reaction.  I worry, in my heart of hearts, that this moment will be hijacked by all the onlookers and she'll miss the personal, intimate opportunity for communion with her Heavenly Father.

But what do I know?!  I just the mom.  And this is HER mission call and HER mission experience.  I was just doing what I thought she wanted me to do.  I guess I'd better get used to this, right?  Is this what parenting a young adult is like?