<p>I had a friend whose boyfriend proposed on the Jumbotron at a sporting event and she felt obligated to say yes. She married him, and was divorced within a couple of years. She told me later that she felt really pressured by the public proposal, and probably would have said no in a less public venue.>>>>>>>>>></p>
<p>Oh, bull! LOL. She’s just being dramatic else she would have not carried through with the marriage.</p>
<p>I guess its totally up to the family.</p>
<p>The commercial that is showing on TV now with the montage of soldiers coming home is absolutely killing me. The adorable little blonde girl, maybe about 4 years old turning and giving her kneeling dad a hug…has that Shirley Temple voice </p>
<p>…“Oh, Daddy” …</p>
<p>I’m sitting here crying just typing it…</p>
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<p>Mmm… I don’t know. I hadn’t seen her for many years when she told me this. She was an ex-GF of my brother’s, and I tracked her down after he died to let her know what happened. So we were catching up, and this story came out. She was quite a bit younger when it happened (maybe 10 years before we talked), so was reflecting on her failed marriage.</p>
<p>Gotta admit, I love the dog reunions. Honestly, it makes me fantasize about what my dog would do if her original “dad” (my brother who died) could somehow come back to her. It would be like that… And dogs, unlike people, do not feel bad if their innermost feelings are on the internet for the world to see. :)</p>
<p>A good friend of mine went to dinner with her boyfriend to a fancy restaurant. Perusing the menu, she saw the following: “Lisa, I love you. Will you marry me?” She looked up in shock to see the waiter and Maitre D’ all beaming at her, a violin player at the ready to celebrate her answer. She was mortified and had NO desire to marry this man; in fact, she had been mulling over breaking up with him. She said yes to avoid humiliating him, but immediately corrected this once in private. She would definitely be on the side of NO public proposals!</p>
<p>Funny, I was thinking about this just today I think after seeing a graduation video where the parent surprised the kid. They initially made me cry when the first few aired a few months ago - but I’m almost desensitized to them now which is a bit sad. I do feel at a graduation ceremony it’s about all the kids. And oh geez re: the proposal on the Jumbotron <em>rolls eyes</em>. Awkward!</p>
<p>Personally, I think we are all much better off when personal and private stuff stays that way instead of everything being turned into a media or web event. I know many love having their moments of fame, but it really is important to think I f all those involved. Public proposals seem like a very bad idea to me. </p>
<p>HImom, I agree.</p>
<p>I had a semi-public proposal- it was at our housewarming party surrounded by friends and family. However, I made the ring and helped pay for it so clearly I wasn’t saying no. (There is a video but it was never put on Youtube!) That is about the only circumstance I could see a public proposal happening- when you know, for sure (based on some background) that the person isn’t saying no. </p>
<p>I don’t quite doubt the whole sticking through the engagement once she said yes thing. I have many friends who had serious doubts before getting married that are now contemplating divorce. I don’t get why you’d go through with a marriage when you’re having such doubts but to each his/her own. </p>
<p>I love the dog videos. Make me cry every single time without fail. I was at my fiance’s best friend’s home coming and good god the dog was happier than everyone else combined. I swear the dog was crying more than his mom was! </p>
<p>Being proposed to in front of loved ones when you’ve already helped select your ring is sweet and nothing like a jumbo trim or serenade event being videoed for youtube, especially if you have no idea if the partner WANTS a deeper commitment like marriage. The latter is more of a reality - show type of drama. Have seen several females running away, which I can only assume is a “NO!”</p>
<p>Completely agree with HIMom. I think some of those lavish public proposals are a reflection of narcissism, and the person who is proposing is too self-absorbed to see any clues that the answer may not be a definite “yes”. </p>
<p><a href=“http://welcomehomeblog.com/2012/04/26/us-soldier-surprises-his-2-year-old-daughter-at-school/”>http://welcomehomeblog.com/2012/04/26/us-soldier-surprises-his-2-year-old-daughter-at-school/</a></p>
<p>this is the video I related upthread. </p>
<p>Very innocent and not a big production. Always a nice reminder of the sacrifices out soldiers and their familys make. </p>
<p>Does anyone remember the “reunions” on Truth or Consequences? They were always so set up that I wondered how the person to be surprised could NOT know there was about to be a reunion.</p>
<p>Have also heard (but fortunately never viewed) the “reunions/confrontations” on Jerry Springer & other TV shows–glad it’s not my world.</p>
<p>I really don’t feel the need or desire to be a voyeur and watch these emotional scenes. I prefer that I be able to opt out rather than having them enacted in front of me whether I chose to be a witness or not. Emotional reunions or promposals or proposals are insensitive to those souls who do NOT want their minutes of fame to be when they are highly emotional or are more private and reserved.</p>
<p>There is a part of me that is a sucker for these videos and another that sees the exploitation of what should be a personal, family moment. When I see the invasion of a high school graduation by a dad the has been deployed to a non-war zone for 6 moths, then I view it as someone who wants to have their Today Show moment, with little regard for the rest of the graduates that are not their child. Thats selfish IMO.
I saw a video recently about a wedding with a bride who’s brother showed up, supposedly unexpectedly…yet the vid was so well edited and the cameras staged just so…the tears flowed, the revaluation that the soldier brother had only one day leave ( since he was assigned to a regional post , not overseas ) I don’t know ,but it wreaked of an attention seeking family that wants their few minutes of fame, which is disrespectful towards the people who cannot com home for such events</p>
<p>I am also bothered by this “public” reunions. I can’t help but wonder how long the parent was in the area before the actual event. Think about it. They just didn’t happen to arrive during the public event, so they had to be in hiding so they could make the reunion public. So it’s the attention they receive that’s more important, not spending time with the child.</p>
<p>^^^You can’t possibly know that. Perhaps it’s the “surprise” that is most important, not “attention.” You really can’t know what’s going on in someone’s mind who you don’t even know.</p>
<p>In my case, I wish that our reunion had been filmed. Not for public consumption, but for our own. As for how long they “hide out,” we also cannot know that it has been for any specific amount of time. My parents were divorced, and had my Dad told us he was coming, we still likely wouldn’t have seen him until Christmas Eve, which was “his” time with us at Christmas. As Dad told me later, he had been assigned to Christmas duty, but when his supervisor found out it would have been the 3rd year in a row, he hastily arranged a leave. Dad got in town the night before and spent the day sleeping and preparing for our evening.</p>
<p>It’s one thing to say you’re not a fan of these videos, but as often happens on CC, the threads tend to go past that and on to judgments of character and intent.</p>
<p>It’s these kinds of stories that made me feel this way:</p>
<p><a href=“Girl's father, returning airman, revealed as 'mystery reader'”>Girl's father, returning airman, revealed as 'mystery reader';
<p>And yes, I am judgmental of a father who would give up three days his child could have had with him, in service to the spectacle.</p>