Twisted Tongues

If you're an ordinary woman who has a child or two or more, you've had the experience of someone commenting, "Oh, when is your baby due?" - and you're not pregnant! Oh, yes, I know I've got a big gut; yes, I know I have to lose more weight. Hopefully, the person delivering the thoughtless comment notices the hurt or aggravation in your face and thinks twice about commenting to the next 'puffy' woman. I've heard the comment, more than once, when I'm nine months pregnant and feeling it, "Expecting twins?"  Yes, I know I look huge; what can I do about it at this very minute?

The worst comments of all involve handicapped or otherwise 'different' children.  One of my babies had white blond hair that grew straight up from her scalp.  I tried to make the hair flatter with baby oil, brushing, even a little bit of hand lotion but nothing worked!  Strangers would come up to us in stores and say something like, "Why do you fix your baby's hair like that?"  

Sometimes we would call her "Fuzzy," because that is the way she looked.  EVERYONE told us, "Don't call her "Fuzzy.  That'll stick to her for life."  Guess what?  Her hair was long enough when she was seven months old and fell over and looked normal.  And, "Fuzzy" didn't stay with her for long.

When the same daughter was around ten years old, the local pool was having problems one summer and her hair turned green. Again, strangers would ask us, "Why do you dye her hair green?"

As my Granny would say, "Some people have no shame."  Some people also say what's on their minds, you know, there is no distance between their brains and their mouths! In other words, they don't think!

Granny and mother also told me that if someone insulted me, to "consider the source."  In other words, if someone makes a stupid comment, just ignore it!  I took that to heart and was not insulted when a few of the other kids made fun of me, calling me, "fattie."  (Actually, I was, for a long time.)

It pays to not be sensitive to stupid, thoughtless comments.  Why should we be hurt?  My thinking is, if someone is really trying to hurt me, I may be hurt, but I'll never give them the satisfaction and show them I'm hurt.

Dear Lord, we can't stop certain folks from making inappropriate comments.  Help us "consider the source" and not be hurt.  Also, please help us not respond in a mean way.  And help us forgive ourselves if we say something stupid and thoughtless!