Adult Orphan?

[RiverSkater]

Somebody has recently introduced themselves (in a professional communication) as an Adult Orphan and in brackets next to it, the year 2020 along with some other professional information such as job title etc.

I need to respond to the message but what do I say? I've never heard of an Adult Orphan before in this way ( even though I'm one myself).

It must still be very raw and very much part of their identity. Do I ignore, or sympathise? Or what? Help!

Ignore it is of no relevance presumably to the content of their email.

As someone who also lost both parents in 2020, I'd still absolutely ignore it in a professional setting

I'm not sure what the sender of the communication would be hoping to achieve by putting that?. If I received a professional email where the body of it didn't mention being an adult orphan, I wouldn't allude to it in your reply

I felt a bit weird when I realised I was an orphan at 38. Would never put it in a professional email though! I'd assume this person was hard work and believed the world revolved around them.

How old are they? I know a number of people who were orphaned before they were 20. It must have been hellish to deal with work acquaintances making polite enquiries about what they were doing at Christmas or chit-chatting about their own arrangements and family. Even telling a bereft person to enjoy themselves or have a Merry Christmas could be very upsetting. It's such a strange thing to say in an email that I would take it as a cue to tread very carefully with any references to the holiday period.

The dictionary definition is a child with no living parents so I’d avoid them like the fucking plague if possible. It sounds like the tip of the iceberg.

This is the stuff they aren’t afraid to put online, imagine what they keep private until they feel comfortable around you.

I suppose I was an adult orphan at 25...I wouldn't dream of writing that next to my name in any context let alone a professional one. Quite bizarre. We should all end up as adult orphans ideally.

We should all end up as adult orphans ideally.

Quite so. It's an odd thing, unless perhaps they're at the 'young not yet fully mature' adult stage.

I would ignore in a professional setting. It's not a protected characteristic so crack on.

It's not professional. It's attention-seeking.
Ignore it.

"Adult orphan" is surely an oxymoron? Either way, it reminds me of one of my favourite scenes in Curb Your Enthusiasm:

I would ignore it as it is completely unprofessional and attention seeking to have that on a work email.

@ItsDinah Probably 40s I would think.

It is weird isn't it? I'll just ignore it. Like @Comedycook says, lots of adults will eventually be in the same position so it's not unique though it can leave you feeling rootless and rudderless as a family unit. Sorry to anybody in the same position @Comedycook @Littlewhiteballs @CMOTDibbler 💕 as its still hard.

Thanks for the responses everybody.

That's weird. Is it a MH profession?

I considered myself an ‘orphan’ after my mum died when I was 44 (my dad had died several years before) but it’s not something I would put on an application form! I discussed it briefly with my husband and friends and how it made me realise I was not immortal but that was it really!

I know someone in their late 50s who still calls themselves an orphan, having lost both or their last remaining parent in their 30s, I think.I've always found it a bit odd but couldn't put my finger on why, I thought I was being unfair thinking that the phrase orphan was only for children. Now I get it.

I get why people call themselves adult orphans. They are talking about the feeling of not belonging to someone anymore. They belong with their children/partner/friends, but the only people they belonged to, have gone.

But it's a fucking weird phrase to use in a professional or general communication.

[quote amusedbush]"Adult orphan" is surely an oxymoron? Either way, it reminds me of one of my favourite scenes in Curb Your Enthusiasm: [/quote]
I was going to say this too. It made me think of this tv show and wonder if they’re a fan and if it’s a joke but it’s strange to have on professional email.

Fuck me, what kind of petting zoo do you work in?

One of my parents died when I was a teenager, but it has no bearing on my professional life.

I would agree with pp - ignore it but be sensitive about general chat around Christmas plans/family etc. Maybe that’s why they’ve included it as a way of saying my grief is still raw.
My mother is 75 and lost her mum 4 years ago - she constantly refers to herself as an orphan which I’m always a bit about but it’s her way of dealing with her grief.