tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post1090727769398639648..comments2024-03-08T03:50:06.029-05:00Comments on A blog for my mom: Awkward ConversationsRosiehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12888635342531960478noreply@blogger.comBlogger57125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-47131309301442788432013-12-15T21:49:19.442-05:002013-12-15T21:49:19.442-05:00Just an FYI, Tourrette's syndrome involves tic...Just an FYI, Tourrette's syndrome involves tics that are uncontrollable, not an inability to filter comments. So, unless that guy's tic is making inappropriate comments about family size, (which is highly unlikely), he's probably just a sad lonely rude guy. :( Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-30433902817409791332013-08-27T20:24:43.590-04:002013-08-27T20:24:43.590-04:00Wow, Rosie. Maybe it's something about four. T...Wow, Rosie. Maybe it's something about four. The worst I've heard from strangers is, "you must be busy!" or "you have your hands full!" which is absolutely true and not offensive at all. :) Just to reinforce the awesomeness, I tell them, "better full than empty!" and no one has EVER disagreed with that remark. When people ask me whether I'm finished (which also happens a lot, just casually/curiously), I tell them no, and they're polite if surprised. I'm so sorry you've had to hear it! I dunno, maybe my family members are thinking it, but they're at least not saying it (yet).Bethhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14587665766913467582noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-9118140217931066802013-08-14T01:55:08.065-04:002013-08-14T01:55:08.065-04:00Twins do run in my family. My mom is a twin (broth...Twins do run in my family. My mom is a twin (brother) and she had boy/girl twins. Her #s 4 and 5, which is what mine are, so I think I am half expecting them to be b/g too. Can't wait to see! Anyway, I'm always quick to explain that twins run in my mom's family if people seem inclined to pry further.Emilyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05117120475033380036noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-72533115719175481342013-08-13T16:39:07.868-04:002013-08-13T16:39:07.868-04:00Rosie, you live in a four-bedroom house, which in ...Rosie, you live in a four-bedroom house, which in your part of the world pretty much means that you have no more than three children. But I bet you are going to stay in that house for a while, so that reduces your carbon footprint per person quite a bit. So does cloth diapering. So does all the reuse of stuff that goes with multi-child families. You bought an existing house, which is more planet-friendly than building one. You nurse your babies for a long time, which means you don't use the planet's resources for factory-produced formula (with its packaging issues, which causes even more pollution). You stay home a lot, finding amusement at home, which cuts down on gas. Knowing you and Andrew, your kids will not be big video-game consumers; they'll be reading, playing with toys like Legos, playing in the backyard, etc., and all that is planet-friendly. Oh, what the heck, you know what I mean, Rosie. I'm just explaining to those who don't know your family.Melissa H-Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03674140433439195917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-23213476257906539992013-08-13T16:27:33.131-04:002013-08-13T16:27:33.131-04:00Well, twins do run in your family, though not very...Well, twins <b>do</b> run in your family, though not very strongly. I find genetics interesting, like with redheads and left-handers and stuff, and I'd certainly be one of those who would ask if they run in the family, especially now that you have twins. Besides, people who use IVF *tend* to be older than you by a long shot, and non-IVF twins *tend* to run in older mothers—though that is obviously not what happened with you and your grandmother! <br /><br />One <b>might</b> be able to try for twins if one notices one's mittelschmerz. If it's significantly more pronounced than usual, that can indicate two eggs descending. So that would be a good time to try for twins, though I don't think I've ever heard of anybody doing it.<br /><br />Note to non-family blog-readers: Rosie's dad's mom also had twins, though her dad is not one of them. And fraternal twins run only in the maternal line, because they come from two eggs; last I heard, nobody has proven that a man can influence a woman to produce two eggs at once.Melissa H-Khttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03674140433439195917noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-1353237150541917552013-08-13T12:05:29.337-04:002013-08-13T12:05:29.337-04:00LOL "we've had intercourse at least 3 tim...LOL "we've had intercourse at least 3 times!" <br />I really pity these people. Their hearts are so little and dried up...<br />Your children are beautiful! May you have many more! xoxoLeilahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03432158981260636910noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-87392523427493391722013-08-13T11:24:38.021-04:002013-08-13T11:24:38.021-04:00I feel like I just need a couple of t-shirts to we...I feel like I just need a couple of t-shirts to wear in public, things that say, "Yes, they ARE all mine!" or the like :PRosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12888635342531960478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-23001351006253151512013-08-13T11:23:52.042-04:002013-08-13T11:23:52.042-04:00I never really know if people are joking with some...I never really know if people are joking with some of these comments... I just have to assume they are, because otherwise I'll spend too long thinking of snarky comebacks!<br /><br />And I love having that conversation at Costco! Always makes me smirk :PRosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12888635342531960478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-3047011664479283612013-08-13T11:22:29.901-04:002013-08-13T11:22:29.901-04:00IT! Ridiculous. Just ridiculous. IT! Ridiculous. Just ridiculous. Rosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12888635342531960478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-2588370286175531342013-08-13T11:22:09.163-04:002013-08-13T11:22:09.163-04:00Although if we had that effect on people, I might ...Although if we had that effect on people, I might have to severely limit where we went together :P After all, if everyone starts having babies all at the same time I'd NEVER be able to find a babysitter!Rosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12888635342531960478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-73313025886897432942013-08-13T11:20:50.537-04:002013-08-13T11:20:50.537-04:00Those comments always amaze me - I've gotten s...Those comments always amaze me - I've gotten some like that about the twins and I can really sympathize, because it is HARD having twins and I understand why people don't necessarily want two babies at once! But it's just one of those things you keep to yourself, right? Rosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12888635342531960478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-22779107362817084222013-08-13T11:18:07.235-04:002013-08-13T11:18:07.235-04:00Right! Have you ever seen those bumper stickers t...Right! Have you ever seen those bumper stickers that say, "Your mom... Chose life!" So true!Rosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12888635342531960478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-19204302304801599422013-08-13T11:17:34.578-04:002013-08-13T11:17:34.578-04:00Yeah, I'm always surprised that I haven't ...Yeah, I'm always surprised that I haven't gotten any "overpopulation" comments. I find that larger families tend to use resources more sparingly than those that are smaller... We use cloth diapers, breastfeed, drive everyone together in one car (my husband has a smaller, more fuel-efficient car that he has to use for work), and do as much as we can do reduce our carbon footprint. In a way, I think that having larger families forces us to think creatively about what an impact we're personally having on the environment, and I honestly think that considering we could fit the population of the entire world into the state of Texas with plenty of room to spare, the overpopulation myth is a bit lacking in teeth.Rosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12888635342531960478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-42289095439992921062013-08-13T11:14:44.439-04:002013-08-13T11:14:44.439-04:00I've definitely had that experience, Mary - I ...I've definitely had that experience, Mary - I start being worried about a "large family" comment and then find out that the commenter is part of a large family :) But I just can't believe how people think children can't hear/understand these comments - more boys = more priestly vocations! What could possibly be wrong with that?<br /><br />And Cristina, that is AWESOME of your oldest to chime in and such a great lesson! I can't even imagine how heartbreaking a remark like that must be every time :( Thanks for sharing!<br /><br />Laura - I think anyone who can raise 5 boys is amazing! I don't know why society is so obsessed with "balanced" families... I even find myself hoping that we have two more boys with the next couple of pregnancies just because I'm obsessed with symmetry!Rosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12888635342531960478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-2369865355702613042013-08-13T11:10:38.523-04:002013-08-13T11:10:38.523-04:00IN FRONT OF THE BIG KIDS??? Oh my goodness... Th...IN FRONT OF THE BIG KIDS??? Oh my goodness... That's just ridiculous - I don't think I'd be able to help myself, I'd probably ask them, "Well, which one do you think we should send back?" or something snarky like that...Rosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12888635342531960478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-51727611066520885792013-08-13T11:09:18.912-04:002013-08-13T11:09:18.912-04:00Thank you for such a kind comment! It's defin...Thank you for such a kind comment! It's definitely tough at times but I try hard to be a good witness to the joys of a large(ish) family :)Rosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12888635342531960478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-33336225171800010462013-08-13T11:08:14.921-04:002013-08-13T11:08:14.921-04:00That's true - I've definitely seen non-Chr...That's true - I've definitely seen non-Christian families with up to 4 kids (VERY rarely more than that), but once you hit the 5+ mark, I feel like it pretty much marks you as Catholic or Mormon and people know not to comment because they probably think you're crazy!Rosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12888635342531960478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-29952487464108137002013-08-13T11:06:58.462-04:002013-08-13T11:06:58.462-04:00WOW that comment is INFURIATING! What a nasty nas...WOW that comment is INFURIATING! What a nasty nasty thing to insinuate! And the "hands full" comments never really bother me, because they're always made when my hands literally ARE full of children!<br /><br />And the "choice" to have twins... I find myself thinking about how it wasn't our "choice" to have twins, we were just aiming for one - but if God thought we could handle two at once, it's gotta be a compliment, right?Rosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12888635342531960478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-63438073725465870092013-08-13T11:05:20.099-04:002013-08-13T11:05:20.099-04:00It's such a personal thing and such a strange ...It's such a personal thing and such a strange thing that's brought up so often! I guess it's at least an opportunity to spread the good news about NFP?Rosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12888635342531960478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-42547285099633176822013-08-13T11:04:19.806-04:002013-08-13T11:04:19.806-04:00I would LOVE to hear your perspective - I think I&...I would LOVE to hear your perspective - I think I've definitely been one to assume things like that in the past (although I would never say it!), but reading more blogs has really showed me how common fertility issues are and how I really CAN'T judge people based on how many kids people have/how far the spacing is. I feel like the comments you must get are probably worse than anything we get :(Rosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12888635342531960478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-91190342598083981922013-08-13T10:17:22.681-04:002013-08-13T10:17:22.681-04:00Love that story!Love that story!Rosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12888635342531960478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-75545422328634138962013-08-13T10:16:20.358-04:002013-08-13T10:16:20.358-04:00I think that getting over the "hump" of ...I think that getting over the "hump" of 3 or 4 young children has to be the hardest, but so few people are open to more than that because it gets so chaotic at times and it feels like adding one more could only be MORE trouble!Rosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12888635342531960478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-6075913391266979532013-08-13T10:15:05.510-04:002013-08-13T10:15:05.510-04:00Yeah... I tell people that I really don't fee...Yeah... I tell people that I really don't feel like our family's "complete" but I don't know if I'll ever feel that way, you know? And it's not like it's our decision how many more to have!Rosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12888635342531960478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-38347327605620662522013-08-13T10:14:17.511-04:002013-08-13T10:14:17.511-04:00And the fact that we get these comments even when ...And the fact that we get these comments even when they're all being adorable or well-behaved is even more ridiculous!Rosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12888635342531960478noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4023711147176297629.post-26878303185622565762013-08-13T10:13:31.702-04:002013-08-13T10:13:31.702-04:00And if you play the "no birth control" c...And if you play the "no birth control" card, people IMMEDIATELY start the Duggar comparisons! I seriously doubt we'll have 19 kids, since I have a feeling things will naturally slow down over the years. But really, what does it matter to YOU how many kids anyone has, random stranger? So awkward...Rosiehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12888635342531960478noreply@blogger.com