To not have corrected this woman today?

[ChunkyMonkeysMum]

I went into town today to buy DS1 a big number 6 helium balloon for his birthday on Thursday. (I promised him one of these as he has ASD and is obsessed with balloons!)

The shop only had 1 left and it was pink!! I decided to buy it anyway as DS1 loves pink and I had promised him and didn't want to let him down.

The girl in the shop inflated it for me and put it in a massive bag. The bag was quite see through.

I then went into another shop and spotted a little pink trinket box which I was looking at buying for my niece for Christmas. A lady walking past said to me "Ooh, she'll love that" then pointed at the balloon and said "When's her birthday?". I automatically said "Thursday".

AIBU to have done this? Or should I have said "Well actually the balloon is for my son who's birthday is Thursday, but this is the only colour the shop had left, and I'm looking at this trinket box for my niece for Christmas"???

[you]

Eh?!

Why do you think you should have corrected her?! Why would you bother?

[mummysgoingmad]

nah YANBU why bother with a complete stanger.

[RainRainGoAway]

Can I repeat 'Eh'?

Someone admired my DS's curls the other day commenting 'what a lovely little girl you have'.

Didn't occur to me to think anything other that.'Oh, Ta.'

Its really no biggie.

[YouSaidWHAT]

does it really matter?

[MillyR]

I see no reason to correct it. A lady asked me if my girls wanted gift packs and I said yes. One of my children is an 11 year old boy with long hair. DS doesn't mind mistakes.

[you]

And... how can this possibly have been playing on your mind enough to warrent a post about it?!

If you HAD explained and she'd been a bit over a pink balloon for a boy, then fair enough... but I just don't get this OP!

[hobnobsaremyfavourite]

I doubt she's at home wondering "I wonder if that woman had bought that pink balloon for a boy? Really don't think it's worth worrying about

[ChunkyMonkeysMum]

Because she assumed it was a girls birthday because of the pink balloon. I'm just wondering if I should have corrected her as I now feel bad that I let her think I had a daughter instead of a son.

Stupid I know. I know IANBU and I didn't need to correct her, but feel a but silly now!!

[GibbonInARibbon]

Dont feel silly and don't think on it anymore

[ChunkyMonkeysMum]

Thanks.

[RainRainGoAway]

Actually, its a nice posting. Nice and gentle with not too much angst about life. A bit like 'Autumnwatch' but on Mumsnet.

[ChunkyMonkeysMum]

you - What don't you get exactly?? I felt a bit silly for not saying it was my sons birthday and just going along with this womans assumption. I was just after some opinions on what other people would do in the same situation.

[you]

Well, I just don't get how you spent more than a few seconds thinking about it tbh. Or thought about it at all.

I don't mean that in a nasty way, it's really quite sweet actually, but I still don't get it

Did you want to correct her because you felt bad for not acknowledging your son, or becuase you wanted to point out that pink isn't a 'girls' colour?

[ChunkyMonkeysMum]

Oh believe me RainRain, if you look at the other thread I posted today, you'll see that my life at the mo is worse than an episode of Eastenders!! So it's quite nice to think about something else for a little while and this crept back ino my head and got me thinking!
There's still always some people who seem to want to question someones reasons for posting regardless of the subject. TBH i'm getting a bit fed up of the whole "This is not worthy of posting" attitude from some people on MN at the mo.
Thanks for thinking it's quite a nice post. I like the comparison to Autumnwatch!!

[ChunkyMonkeysMum]

you - It was a bit of both really. I'm kinda thinking that I should have made the point that it was for my sons birthday but that he loves the colour pink, but then I would have felt I had to elaborate on the pink trinket box in case she thought I was taking things a bit too far by buying my son a little pink box with 2 little drawers with heart shaped knobs and a mirror with punk fluff round it!!!
In fact I've answered my own question......it was easier to go along with her assumption

[thisisyesterday]

oh don't feel silly. i didn't correct the midwife when she referred to my middle child as a girl. i felt AWFUL afterwards, and ds1 was very confused!!!!

[ChunkyMonkeysMum]

Oops, pink fluff of course, not punk!!

[louii]

it doesn't matter.

[you]

[ChunkyMonkeysMum]

No I know it doesn't matter, just felt a bit bad for not acknowledging my son.
Thanks everyone for your responses.

[GibbonInARibbon]

Oi

Do not beat yourself up, in that situation I would have said the same (being caught on the hop makes everyone answer before thinking) it was not a case of not acknowledging your son.

Consider yourself told

[shockers]

I quite like the idea of punk fluff.

[ChunkyMonkeysMum]

Thanks Gibbon!! Shockers - so do I!!!

[GibbonInARibbon]

[ChunkyKitKat]

Did DS1 overhear you speak to the woman? Wouldn't worry unless DS1 heard you and was miffed about it.