Thank you to everyone who left comments on Pristine’s graduation post. I read all the comments to her and she was so pleased!
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As I have been tweeting this morning, I was in an awkward situation at the school program yesterday. This post is for all of you not on Twitter or those who have not seen my tweets.
Anyway, there are a number of Japanese students in Pristine’s school and although she has no Japanese classmate, there are plenty of Japanese kids in the other kindergarten classes. I’m pretty much acquainted with them. “Acquainted” of course just means hi, hello or goodbye during school runs or during programs at school. There is one mom whom I noticed always come to school to attend the programs/meetings alone. Her son is in KG2 and she has a another one year old boy.
Yesterday, when her son’s class was on stage, there was a middle-aged man, around mid-50’s taking photos of the child – I thought, wow, the child’s grandpa is so sweet to see his grandson’s graduation and traveled to Dubai all the way from Japan. Japanese grandpa’s rarely do that – it deserves appreciation in my book.
Then I happen to bump into the mom at the hallway while I was on my way out and I stopped and talked to her. I told her it was so nice and sweet of the grandpa to come over visit them in Dubai.
Her expression was priceless.
She did not know what to do with me or how to react. I was clueless, just smiling back at her. When she finally found herself, she gently said:
“That’s not grandpa – that man is actually my husband!”
Ooops! oops! oops!!
I almost melted and wished I had the power to evaporate right there and then! I apologized profusely. How could I instantly expect that just because that man was old enough to be a grandpa that he was indeed a grandpa? I was so embarassed. She told me that she gets that comment all the time because her husband is 14 years her senior (she’s nearing 40).
Some couples are really unpredictable (in terms of looks)!
But as one twitter friend pointed out, “Take comfort that it’s not as embarassing as asking a woman when her baby is due when she’s not pregnant!” Oh well, I haven’t done that and won’t do that unless the woman is in labor.
How’z your Monday?
Finding Backroads 
Um… I did that. I saw an old friend out shopping one day and we both squealed with delight when we saw one another.
“Ekkkk…..When are you due???”
“I’m not” she said and I saw the hurt in her eyes. I felt horrible.
Then I botched it up even worse when she commented how great I looked. “Oh you know me, I don’t do a thing, I’m just lucky I guess.”
I had specifically engineered that response so she then wouldn’t feel as though I was insinuating that she needed to do something about her non-pregnant tummy.
Again, she was devastated. No matter how I apologized, I don’t think she ever got over it.
I seem to stick my foot in my mouth a lot. 🙂
How embarrassing!
mannequins last blog post..Home
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That’s really embarassing and sad…I hope your friend got over it!
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I’ve done the same thing before. Its so embarrassing. Sorry.
Jinxys last blog post..My Baby?s Mind Monday-6-8-09
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I think we have all done something similar…I know I certainly give older people with younger children second glances, hoping they are the grandparents. 🙂
Jackis last blog post..Oh boy…
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I never ask people if they’re pregnant unless they look ready to go into labor. I always find someone else to ask who I can trust.
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Oh my gawd… I would’ve been mortified, too! Personally, I haven’t had an experience like that although my younger sister has. She & a couple of other friends went over to a classmate’s house and saw an old lady sweeping the yard. When her friend came out, she commented, “Wow, your Lola’s still so active.” To which her friend replied, “That’s not my Lola, that’s my mom.” OOPS!!!
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Ooops, indeed! Same incident happened to my father (who initially refused to dye his graying hair). He went to my sister’s school and my sister’s classmates screamed, “Ariane (my sister’s name), your grandpa is here!!”
He brought home a black hair dye that very day. LOL!
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“Take comfort that it’s not as embarrassing as asking a woman when her baby is due when she’s not pregnant!” – I got caught on that once – it is beyond embarrassing!
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I can only imagine! How did the woman react?
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I’ve never done what you did, but I could see how that could happen easily. The woman handled it with ease and without sarcasm. She goes through it a lot, I’m sure, and is used to the mistake. Give yourself a break, Grace. It could have happened to anyone!
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Gave myself a break (I ran away from the scene as fast as I can)…I don’t know how to face her again though…
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That was definitely embarrassing. At least you weren’t the first to ever do it to her. Bet you never do it again! 😀
I was actually on the receiving end of the pregnancy one. We just moved into our house and I was working in the back yard in an empress type top when a neighbour leaned over the fence, introduced herself and asked when I was due. I was mortified (since it was my favorite top and I wore it lots. I wondered how many other people thought I was preggers). Once I clarified, she was mortified and I felt better but not really. She never did lean over the fence for another chat.
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Happened to me too. My daughter’s teacher thought that I was pregnant not just because of my tummy though that was one reason, the other reason was that my daughter had been spreading rumors at school that mom’s tummy is getting bigger everyday = Preggers! YIKES!!
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LOL… too funny. Well, you never know these days. And he actually could be a grandfather, just not that child’s grandfather.
I’ve actually done that before: commented on when someone was due when they weren’t pregnant.
Urban Thoughts last blog post..Letters
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And he actually could be a grandfather, just not that child’s grandfather.
This is funnier!
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Oh no!
Good to know we all have those melt into the floor moments, though, eh? 🙂
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Hope not to have those melt to the floor moments again, soon.
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hehehehe 🙂 not to worry, she will get over it :)… I’m Bengali and in our culture many older men marry much younger women, well you can imagine how weird it has been on 3 occassions where going shopping with my Dad, i was mistakenly identified as his wife…making me VERY mad, since my father is in his mid 60’s…AND though i’m 27, i still get carded for R-movies (i look like im 12 sometimes eek!) LOL in a way it was like complimenting her youngness 😀
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Oh my God, I would be mad too if I am mistaken for my father’s wife!! But I have had people strangely looking at me when I am with one of my younger brothers.
I have 4 brothers who are all more than 5’8″ in height (one is 6′) and they are all sweet – people around are screaming to themselves, “COUGAR”!!
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At this point I can vividly remember my own reaction 🙂 Memory of her reaction is not so clear for obvious reasons
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That’s too funny! I totally asked a friend from high school if she was pregnant in the last year or so and she wasn’t!
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