Saturday, February 21, 2009

Them you kids?

If you can believe it, this was the question that was posed to us at the check out in Wal Mart last evening. Marc and I both stood there flabbergasted, with our mouths hanging open, at the ignorance of the statement. Quite honestly, it was the ignorance of the statement that prompted us both to say yes in unison and walk away while the woman actually scratched her head in confusion at the sight of GASP!...two Caucasian parents with two Asian children. This woman was obviously and unfortunately so ignorant that there was definitely no educating her and there was no need for me to make a stink about it with the end result being that she could possibly lose her job in such a unforgiving economy.

Oh, how I wanted to do what I usually do when I get the occasional less than intelligent question or response to a question. That would be to gracefully educate the person if possible or dryly put them in their place if not. In this case though, it was woefully apparent that there was no reason to try either option. If I cannot even quantify that you have an IQ then why even attempt it?

This amazing little bubble buster came at the end of a fun filled evening at a local carnival. I will blog about those sweet moments and return to regularly scheduled programming when I can stop the involuntary head shaking that continues to plague me.

10 comments:

Unknown said...

Heh. We got the question, "Is that your grandchild?" about Peter. (oddly enough, it was at a Wal-Mart too!) Bleh. I'm not sure which question is worse.

I took Peter (now 9) to the dentist a few months back and there was a new hygenist working on his teeth. She looked at me, Peter and Caroline and asked if I was the nanny. Peter had enough poise to look at her and say, "We're adopted." It felt so good to know that I somehow empowered my boy to set people straight graciously.

It won't be the last time you get asked that question. Perhaps next time, the person asking will have better grammar. :)

Kelley said...

Well, I've had kids ask me (with a curious stare) if I'm Chloe's mom...and I had a man at Wal-Mart assume that I was her grandmother (though that one still astounds me). People are amazingly stupid sometimes...

Unknown said...

Some people need reminders to inhale and exhale. I am so sorry that you had to deal with one. People also ask Jim if the girls are his granddaughters are the time(drives him nuts)

Tammie said...

Interestingly enough, WalMart is one place where everyone is positive with us. Whenever we go in, everyone there always has a kind word for Erin.

We had our horrible experience at a Red Lobster. You've never seen me speechless before. It devastated Erin.

M and M Girls said...

I am so surprised that this is the first time you got the question - wow - I have heard it a million time - when I lived in the north when my oldest was 0-3 yrs and then we moved to the south - and we still here it. We now live in an area where there are lots lots more adoptive families so I will admit we here it less. I think some people think I am the babysitter....lol... if so please is my shift over yet??? Am I getting overtime pay for this?? LOL ;-) Seriously I get it Gymboree.... are they yours? - Nope I spend $300 on random children- it is my thing!! lol

Educating the world is exhausting - humor can be equally as draining - sometimes I walk away keeping my cool.

Glad you kept your cool.

I hate that our children have to hear the question -
Diane

Vivian M said...

Nothing new here, we used to get ignorant comments in S FLA all the time! I could write a book on them, but here are a few:
Is her Daddy Chinese? My reply: Yes but my husband is not. (Sometimes I would add: her birth Mom is Chinese too, or lean over and whisper "The milkman is Chinese" and wink).

What's wrong with her eyes? Hubby's response: I told her not to push too hard at delivery!

How much did she cost? My reply: She is priceless.

Is she adopted? (Depending on the tone) the answer was yes or "No, I switched babies at birth because she was cuter than mine"

Does she speak Chinese? (asked at ten months of age). My reply: Yes and she is fluent in English and Spanish too, but we mostly communicate in sign language.

And I could go on and on....

Unknown said...

My favorite response came from something I read. When a woman was asked if her baby's father was Chinese, she said, "I don't know who the father is" and walked away.

I thought it was funny, but I would never have the nerve to do that.

Donna said...

I got a similar question at Walmart back in 2005. The checker actually asked "How much did you pay for her?"

:o

Yep, I kid you not.


Donna
Our Blog: Double Happiness!

The Jamails said...

My favorite question came at our local courthouse when a woman asked "her daddy Spanish?" We have laughed long and hard over that one. It has become a family joke and is used in just about every situation Some people will never get it, so I say let's have some fun with them!!!
Andrea Jamail http://jamails.blogspot.com/

Unknown said...

I just have one question for you: was this the Doo Doo Walmart? If not, it has a new title now!