The Ring Phenomenon

Every parent has but one dream when they have a baby - grandbabies. As soon as they see the face of their little one, they start imagining even littler (miniature, really) versions of the same. Well, OK, I guess that's simplifying it a leetel, but come on - at the end of the day they all want grandbabies! It's not enough that they themselves ensured the continuation of their gene pool - they want to make sure that it lasts at least another, if not two more, generations - and believe me, they'd take care of all the coming generations if they could just hang around that long! So it's really very, very understandable when they start their endless refrain of When will you get married?

But what puzzles me is the Ring Phenomenon - that's when anyone with a ring on their finger asks you the exact same question. Now, obviously, they don't want you to help them continue their gene pool (one would hope!), so their sudden interest is rather mystifying. For some strange reason, the moment someone gets a ring on their finger, all that comes out of their mouths when they see you sounds something like this:

So, any news? *big meaningful smile*

or

Hi, what's up? When are you inviting me? *wink wink*

I have never actually tried taking off any of their rings to see if it would widen their area of interest - but I'm pretty sure it has something to do with it. Probably it's the hypnotising effect of the diamond - just imagine having something shining at you all the time, day in, day out, reminding you of your new found status. Naturally, when you have a constant reminder like that on your finger, it's hard to think about anything else. The question is, are they trying to spread the joy - or the misery? *wink wink*