..in getting annoyed when people are so predictable.

[margosbeenplayingwithmynoonoo]

For example.

Before I got married - everyone would ask - "are you all organised?"

When I got married - "how's married life?" (they asked me that for about 2 years, grrr)

This progressed to

"so when are you having children?"

to (once pg)

"Was it planned?" (please note, DO NOT ASK THIS IT'S RUDE)

"Do you know if it's a boy or a girl?"

to

"Does s/he sleep through the night?"

"Is s/he teething?"

It riles me.

Please note - I don't mind being asked these questions a few times but after they've been asked the umpteenth time it makes me go a bit do-lally

I'm ungrateful, people are concerned when they ask these things, I'd just like some original questions from time to time!

YABU, sorry. It's gone on for centuries and it will continue for centuries. If people didn't ask these stock questions (and I agree, they are often stupid and/or rude) then you would probably be posting that no-body is interested in you and your life-changing personal events.

Plus, if you have 4 girls everyone has to ask 'Were you trying for a boy?' Err nooo. I wasn't TRYING atall. Infact I was trying NOT to get pregnant four times.

Mmm, I sounded a bit rude myself there - didn't mean to!

it's because people are too brainless to come up with real conversation. they resort to banalities.
it's liek asking someone how they are? everyone replies fine. even thoguhtehy areatdeaths door etc.

Despite my YABU reply, there was one set of these stock questions that did drive me up the wall: when pg with no2 (after ds1) "Bet you're hoping for a girl this time." No. Sod off. (Though I never actually said that last bit out loud.) And when pg with no3 (after dd) "Why do you want another when you've already got one of each?" No answer to that! So perhaps YANBU.

I've found that if you actually answer these, sometimes annoying banal questions with honesty, they do seem to diminish. if people ask how i am, i answer truthfully with as much detail as our relationship deserves.

you soon find that the people who couldn't really care less and were asking out of politeness learn not to ask the question if they don't want to have to sit and listen to the answer.

And when you do answer truthfully, you get a reputation (amongst those who don't know you too well or haven't taken the time to really listen to what you're saying) for being tactless / rude and other such things.

People don't even realise they're being offensive. My dh and i were together 12 years before marrying. everyone kept saying 'oh congrats - so are you pregnant or trying' - how rude is that. NEITHER... I'd say that i thought that they were being rude and takign away the importance of a decision that, for one reason or antoher, had taken us 12 years to reach. I was then called 'touchy' and similar...

i oculd go on but as has been said. ti will always go on. people can't help it. My friends and i make a 'game' out of it. if we're out and feeling bored, we just hope someone asks me such a question and then see how quickly and imaginatively they can make a hasty retreat

i soemtimes look forward to these questions. i find a weird pleasure/satisfaction in answering the questions and giving the low down on how i am, what i'm up to.

even better are the inappriate questions. i answer in my schoolteacher/mum tone that the question is rude and inappriate

watch 'em squirm

i've got another 2

"is she clean yet?"

"Does she go to nursery?"

I suppose I get asked these type of questions more because I see the same customers regularly, it's something they ask without really thinking.