Protecting Your Parental Privacy from Friends and Family

Believe it or not, grandparents aren't the worse offenders! The most rabid fans of the comparison game are none other than your peers...other mommies. When one of the moms in your playgroup casually inquires, "Is your daughter sleeping in a big kid bed yet?" she insists she's making polite conversation, but she's probably asking because she wants to see if her child is ahead or behind the big bed curve.

If another mom exclaims, "He's such a healthy boy! How much does he weigh now?" she's not paying you a compliment, she's comparing her son's weight to your son's. Depending on what you tell her, she'll either go home happy in the knowledge that her little darling is the perfect size for his age or she'll start slipping protein powder into his milk to help him bulk up.

The nosiest question of all has to be, "When are you going to try for another baby?" If your parents ask this one, you can rest assured that they adore their grandchildren and are anxious for another baby to cuddle. But when your neighbors delve into your sex life, you can bet your bottom dollar they're trying to figure out when everyone else is having a second child so they'll know when to ditch the birth control pills.

Finding the Right Answers

So what do you do when faced with one of these intrusions? You've got a variety of options ranging from polite answers to truly evil deceptions. The truth, they say, will set you free. If you give an honest answer and satisfy the busybody's curiosity, she'll most likely leave you alone. However if you don't feel like discussing your breastfeeding philosophies with your cousin, you are perfectly in your right to shoot down the question with a snarky remark with the hope that it will end the conversation then and there. And if you're feeling particularly put out by a blatant fishing expedition from another mother, feel free to tell an outright lie to throw her completely off track. "That's right; our little Erica already understands fractions!"