People are weird – right?

I mean, we love them and we ARE them, but people say crazy things.  

I do it too.  I open my mouth and words spill out and sometimes I do not even know what those words will be until it is very much too late.

(I have friends, by the way, who NEVER do that.  Maybe it’s personality, enneagram number, more self control – I don’t know.)

When I was living with many small children, there were frequent comments and stares.  Things like,

“Are they all yours?”

“Are you running a daycare?”

“You’ve got your hands full.”

Actually, I still sometimes get a couple of those comments.  In fact, just this month I had the classic comment that has been uttered to me on far too many occasions after I tell someone that I have six children:

“Do you know how that happens?”

Maybe this time I should have answered, “I used to – but I kind of forget now.”

As my band of children age and grow, and as I pursue different career opportunities, I find myself alone at restaurants or coffee shops.

And now I get these comments when I am being seated:

“Is it just you?”

“Are you alone tonight?”

“Will anyone else be joining you?”

And those are alright questions I guess.  They need to know what table suits me best I suppose.

But there ought to be a better phrase – right?

What questions do you get asked that seem off kilter?

That don’t sit well with you?

That make you hesitate and wonder why people don’t pause to think first?

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