Just for fun, here’s a list of my “favorite” questions and comments, roughly in order of how frequently I get them. :)

1. Six words: “You sure have your hands full!” Some days it’s all I can do to keep myself from responding, “Gee, that’s clever! You’re the first person who’s ever said that to me! Instead, I usually have a little fun with them and tell them how many I have at home. ;o) I know it’s petty, but I can’t tell you how much I detest having these words thrust at me daily!

2. Is this a daycare? When I answer, “no,” it usually leads into question #3.

3. Which ones are yours? I generally give a quizzical look like I don’t know what they’re talking about, which usually forces them to rephrase the question. When they do, I usually say something like, “Well, we have 4 by birth and 5 by adoption, but we don’t distinguish between them by saying some are ours and some aren’t.”

4. Sometimes I’m criticized because I haven’t adopted from the US when there are “so many kids in American who need homes.” This is a toughie for me because I have to weigh whether to further open my life to a stranger and spill my guts about our failed domestic attempts. Since this comment is always slightly confrontational, I usually just say that I believe all children all children deserve families.

5. “So you’re done now, right?” I switched OBGYN doctors during my third pregnancy because she suggested that since I would likely have a c-section, she could just “tie my tubes while she was in there.” I don’t know when I’ll be done, but the ticket taker at the movie sure isn’t going to influence my decision.

6. Just like people love to tell childbirth horror stories to pregnant women, they love to tell adoption horror stories to adoptive ones. My standard reply is, “Gee, that’s too bad,” and then go into avoidance mode.

7. “Couldn’t you have children (or any more children) of your own?” Definitely in the NOYB category, but if I sense they’re sincere and not just trying to be nosy, I sometimes tell a little bit about our history. This is one of those questions that illustrates that there’s a fine line between making sure your children know you value ALL of them, and not sharing too much of their private lives.

I’d love to hear about some of your annoying questions and comments, and how you handle them, so leave me a comment, would ya? :)