Downhill from here

One of yesterday's papers contained a short filler article outlining the main causes of (so-called) 'Postnuptial depression'.

These post-honeymoon blues manifest themselves when the excitement of planning and preparing for "the big day" has passed and the newlyweds find themselves deep in debt ,with their ambitious plans to build an extension/buy a new car/get a new kitchen no more than a pipe dream.

"Preposterous!^*", declared Daddy Ambassador, "For a start, where did all these conditions and syndrome's come from?"

"Stockholm?" suggested Mammy Ambassador.

"For instance", he continued unperturbed, "there was no such thing as Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder when you were a 2 year old knocking holes in everything in sight. You were just being a little shit - nothing more, nothing less - and your mother and I had to teach you right from wrong. There was no 'Repetitive Strain Injury' or 'Post Traumatic Stress Disorder' then either. When things got tough you gritted your teeth and got on with it. Now-a-days rather than take action to actually deal with hardship, people find it more convenient to invent some cock-and-bull syndrome that explains, justifies or excuses their behaviour."

"In any case, it has nothing to do with post wedding blues, mountains of debt or some newly invented disorder. Young people get married expecting life to be like something from Friends or that thing Helen Hunt was in. But life's not like that - not when you're married and certainly not when you have kids. Young couples enter into marriage with unrealistic expectations because of these shows".

"Is that why you and Mam are so happily married? Because there was no 'Friends' back then?"

"Exactly!" he replied.

"All we had was Eastenders - and compared to that, anybody's life would seem like bliss".

^* Daddy Ambassador's grew up in Dolphin's Barn, so what he actually said was "Bollox!".