Mum dilemma’s - anyone else overhear conversations between strangers about you?
I’m not sure what it is, but the last few months I’ve constantly been hearing COMPLETE STRANGERS have conversations or make comments about whether I am the Mother to my children - or not.
I’m 25 with a 4 year old and 9 month old baby. I’ve always looked much younger than my age, and I’m not a makeup wearing kind of woman. I’m not married and I’m a solo Mum as my ex abused me and my eldest.
I’m constantly hearing:
“Do you think she’s the Mum?” - “No”
“She’s probably his big sister” (Re. 4 y/o)
“She’s the nanny”
“She’s the babysitter”
“That’s not her baby”
“Those aren’t her kids”
“Teen pregnancy”
“She had the 1st one at 18”
“That’s what it looks like when you dress up to babysit”
I’m naturally slim due to a high metabolism so I don’t look like I’ve just had another baby, and I dress well regardless which is just how I was raised. It’s 1 thing for it to be said, but my issue is that I can hear them! I know it shouldn’t bother me but I think it seriously does because I had traumatic pregnancies with Hyperemesis and I adore my babies! It feels like my experience is being invalidated because I don’t “look like” a Mother of 2 young kids.
I’ve been making it clear by saying certain words or phrases to indicate the eldest is indeed my child. Then the assumption follows onto my baby, but why should I have to deliberately do that?! It’s so annoying!
It’s making my anxiety go crazy and affecting my daily life.
Can anyone relate? Any advice please? 😕
I’d call them out on it loudly- ‘yes they’re both my babies, if we’re discussing other people loudly in public I could say something about you too if you’d like?’