Pop off, that's not my son or grandson

This is just not my week for normal encounters with live beings.

I was leaving the house with Kid Sis #2. As I left, I was carrying her baby so that she could start the engine and cool the car off a bit. There was a truck sitting out side with three men standing around the truck. I had invited one of the men into the house for his opinion on how I should be hanging the cabinet I want to install (he is a carpenter/contractor). So I made sure to make eye contact with him and say goodbye and thanks for his help.

In return, this same man had some words for me as I passed by him and his buddies on the way to the car.

"Is that your grandbaby?"

It was one of those moments where you have about a million thoughts in about 2 seconds:

• Is he talking to me?
• What the hell?!
• You want me to pop off, Son?!
  
• Is he drunk?
• Do I look that old?!
• Has he been doing crack or something?
• Do I look like I could be Kid Sis #2's mother?
• Is he for real?!
• Should I go off on him, or just answer the question and move on?
• What the hell?!
• Is this him trying to make a move on me? Perhaps he thinks if I feel more mature I will be more apt to try and talk to his 60+ year old ass?

I chose to simply answer him and walk on to the car. I don't want to start my time in this neighborhood seemingly like a big beeatch.

I got into the car. Sat for a moment and started to laugh out loud. Kid Sis #2 had not heard this exchange so I explained it to her. After rehashing it, I started to think about how this man may have been thinking logically.

After all, there are many people who have babies in their really early teens. Then those kids have kids in their early teens. You could have four generations with the oldest member being only 45 years old. So even though I am not quite close to checking the 35-45 box yet, I could indeed technically be a grandmother.

Plus, this man does not know that had I tried to have a baby at that age, I would likely not be alive at this moment, or would have suffered some severe deformities at the hands of my parents. And if I had somehow managed to birth a child that young, if it grew and decided to even try to pretend to start practicing the act that makes babies, she too word have to face more than words.

The whole thing was ridiculous. Especially because I don't look old. At the track meet this weekend I cannot even count how many people thought I was about to compete in the 17-18 age group. I cannot tell you how many times I have been with students and had someone ask where the adult was only to have to reassure them that they shouldn't feel bad once they realized that the teacher/adult was me. The other day I had someone tell me that I should not even be near the alcohol section since I was clearly not old enough to be there. I told her that I could technically be her mother.

So I guess I'll just brush my shoulders off since, in his world, he was logical in his inquiring if my nephew was my grandbaby.

And I will thank goodness that I have yet to pop out a little shorty.