A woman has shared footage of the scene that greeted them when her “punctual” husband insisted they arrive at the start time of a recent family wedding.
Punctuality is a valuable trait that experts say can often be formed in childhood. Carmel Moore, a time management expert and director of The One Moment Company, previously explained to British newspaper Metro: “Punctual people often share formative experiences of busy working parents, driven by a full timetable, always in motion—so for a child to be ready on time shows love and respect.”
Moore believes that while growing up with an organized parent can influence punctuality in adult life, the opposite can also be true.
“The embarrassment of a parent always being late for school drop off and pickup can lead to a working life of obsessive punctuality, one in which any team member who is late can be regarded as an under-performer.”
Sarah, a 26-year-old Austrian woman born to Egyptian parents, credits her mom with instilling in her an understanding of the importance of being on time.
“My Egyptian mother is incredibly punctual and always raised me with the importance of being on time, so I grew up with that mindset,” she told Newsweek.
Her husband, Linus, is of a similar mindset.
“My husband’s parents are Austrian, but he was born in Germany due to his father’s job. He studied mechanical engineering in Austria, and that’s where our paths crossed,” Sarah said. “When it comes to official meetings, both my husband and I are very punctual.”
However, they have a different approach when it comes to social activities, as Sarah discovered when they were invited to one of her relative’s weddings
“The invitation said it would start at 5 p.m.” Sarah explained.
Linus, therefore, was eager to arrive for the start time. What he didn’t realize, however, was that events like this go a little differently for Egyptian families.
“This wedding was more of a party,” she explained. “There was no ceremony or speeches, just food and dancing. As a result, arriving late wasn’t seen as disrespectful.”
She said that most of the guests understood it was fine to come a little later.
“I even warned my German husband about this, but he still had fear of missing out and wanted to be there on time,” Sarah said.
The result was captured in a video posted to their TikTok Sarah_Linus, with Linus filmed sitting in an almost entirely empty venue. Though it was amusing enough, Sarah didn’t have any regrets about what happened.
“While we did wait for a bit, it gave us time to connect with family and meet new people,” she said.
The video has now been watched 1.7 million times, with Sarah hopeful that it gives people a “deeper appreciation for cultural diversity” and an understanding that “differences, even in something as simple as punctuality, can be a source of humor and learning rather than frustration.”
“Every culture has its unique strengths and quirks, and there’s so much we can learn from one another,” she said.
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