Say What !?! Sunday

Be sure to check out the most recent Foster Parent Friday (posted Sunday - oops)

Today's Say What (!?!) is probably something most parents of many children hear on occasion.  I usually don't care too much what other people think of us being foster parents or parents to multiple children for that matter, so much so that I didn't even catch this Say What until hours after it happened.

I took the babies for their well-baby checkups this past week.  They are 3 months apart, which works really well because their quarterly doctor appointments can happen at the same time.  This time I had biological dad with me (see the most recent foster parent friday above - usually this wouldn't happen), but before he arrived I had the kids running all around the waiting room.  Afterall, what else do you do with a 15-month and 18-month old while waiting in a medicaid doctor office for 45 minutes past your appointment time but play peek-a-boo and chase?  (that's why bio-dad was there actually, the appointment was supposed to be over and he was picking up the little guy for the first unsupervised visit - YAY!).  Anywho...back to the story.

At some point two elderly women came in separately but at the same time.  As I played with the kids they were asking me questions. 

Lady #1 - Are they twins? (we get that everywhere we go)
Mie - No, they are 3 months apart
Lady #1 - oh (awkward silence)
Lady #2 - You sure have your hands full!
Mie - Yes, and I have a 4 year old in school today
Lady #1 - What were you thinking?
Lady #2 - She likes kids
Mie - smiling obliviously, still, after 6 months trying to figure out how to avoid the "are you twins" conversation that makes everyone else go "hmmm".

As I said, it was hours later before I figured out that Lady #2 was jumping in on my behalf, clearly bewildered that someone would say something against someone's decision to have multiple kids.  It does make me pause when it's elderly people though - wasn't that much more common when they were in their child-bearing years?  I guess they've gotten used to the idea that women in this day and age "have the right to choose" whether through birth-control or other means?

When we were going through the process of becoming a licensed home both of my grandmothers made comments about our choice.  My grandmother that I mentioned in the last Thankful Thursday, when I told her that we were going to be licensed for 4 kids, said "how are you going to handle all that?".  Ironically, both of my grandmothers had 8 children, that one spent a large portion of the time single.

I'm not offended.  It just triggers my curiousity.

BONUS - An additional Say What !?!
I remembered the 4th one from last week.

As we were waiting at church for childcare to be available for our date, Logan was playing with another kid, his little sister, and our little girl in the little play house thing.  Sitting on a bench nearby we heard -

L: This is my little sister.  I think she's adopted or something.

HA!