To ask for the question you always get asked, when the person saying it thinks they're the first person to say it.

[GetMeOffThisCycleOfMisery]

Light-hearted.

Examples. As a teen I worked in a shop, sometimes something doesn't scan and the customer (if paying attention) without fail would say, "Oh, that's free then?" Followed by a chuckle.

I wear very high heels a lot, I get told all the time, "How you don't break your neck in those, I'll never know!"

The latest one, my DP is a head chef, people always say, "Oooh, I bet you get loads of lovely meals cooked for you!" I bloody wish, it's a Busman's Holiday for him, he doesn't want to cook after a day in the kitchen. 😆

'Oooh did you do the fast talking thing?'

'G'wan, do a bit now for me!'

Ex- auctioneer. Answers- yes. And no. 😁

Now:

' What's your signature dish?' And at a particular time of year 'what's the best way to cook my turkey?'

Current job: chef.

I was single til I was 32 and got married at 35 (I know, shocker, so old right?) and I ALWAYS got asked...

Don’t you want to get married?
Haven’t you met anyone yet?
Why haven’t you met anyone, you’re so lovey (because only lovely people are married yeah?)
Why aren’t you married, you’re so pretty?
Time’s ticking you know!
Don’t you want children (because I was single)
Aw, don’t worry, I’m sure mr right will come along soon.

Argggggggggghhhhhh!!!!
By everyone... my hairdresser, aunts, uncles, dentist, colleagues, any randomer who I met.

@VeeJayBee, I started seeing someone when I was about 33, having been single for a while. I found that straight away people were asking whether I was going to get married. Not because they'd met my bloke and thought he was perfect for me, but because of my age.

Over 20-odd years I have worn hearing aids as I have become increasingly deaf. When I explain my hearing loss, I'm asked if I have tried hearing aids. Duh!

“You’re very short, aren’t you?”
I am under 5’ tall, amazing how many people think this is worth pointing out to me. Many of them think it highly amusing to lean on me as they say it, I’ve perfected a quick duck away that leaves them staggering.

*I work for the council^

'I pay your wages you know'

Fuck the fuck off

I'd be tempted to work out exactly how much an individual resident of the borough contributes to you wage. I bet it's almost nothing - then I'd offer it back to anyone that gave you the 'I pay your wage' comment. 😅

What’s the worst thing you’ve ever seen?
I’m a paramedic and you really don’t want to know and I certainly don’t want to remember or it’ll be stuck in my head again.

Not so light hearted but I have a severely disabled child and the amount of people who say I don't know how you do it ,I couldn't do it etc well it wasn't my choice either but it is what it is and we love him very much what are we supposed tobegore Most parents of disabled children are not anything special they are just muddling through like anyone else ,people need to think before they speak whilst I suspect they think they are being kind ,they often come across as patronising.

Supposed to do *

You don’t look South African, you’re too pale. You don’t sound South African, I’ve not been back there in 20 years. Will you ever go back, I have no reason to all my family is here. And my all time favourite - Say something in South African, there are 11 official languages and English is the most common.

My favourite comment from one of our Operating Department Assistants used to be (to me!) ‘Can't you do another dwarf? You’ve been doing grumpy all morning!’ It stills makes me laugh when I think about it.

I have a Psychology degree so it’s always “can you read my mind?” 🙄🙄🙄

@Graphista love your school photo story!!!! My DD only ties her hair back in a pony but hers is also so beautiful when it's just left loose. She's 14 and whilst she loves her hair, she's very conscious that she looks quite different.
I'm guessing someone has made a throwaway comment at some time because she says she looks like a lion with her hair down.
She hasn't asked to straighten it yet!

Some of the things mentioned here are justpeople making conversation. A few of you sound like really hard work!!

@WeBuilt that's an easy one - the 22nd same day as my niece! (May totally have googled!)

My fil once overruled me at a pub quiz dh and I went to with his parents. The question was on a topic I knew. He decided he knew better and made mil change the answer. I was right. He was not.

Some of the things mentioned here are justpeople making conversation. A few of you sound like really hard work!!

Oh, some of them are just conversation, its funny when people come out with the same line you've heard dozens of times before (in the case of my dachshund ones, within the space of one walk sometimes!) and look so darned pleased with themselves. We can almost predict who's going to do it too. (The most common interaction is of a different sort - child 'ooh, is it a sausage dog? Can I stroke him?' To which the answer is 'Yes! And yes - thanks for asking so nicely')

Some of the other things on this thread though are at best tactless and in some cases - presumably unwittingly - downright cruel.

When I had my second child, another son...

Oh no, two boys, you've got your hands full
Are you going to try for a girl next?
Aw, are you disappointed?
Yes, I really did get asked if I was disappointed...unbelievable

rainbowstardrops. I get similar. My daughter has long straight hair and it’s a mixture of colours/tones. I got asked if her hair colour was natural when she was 4! No, I took her to the salon and sat her in a chair for hours with chemicals on her head

Not my situation but I have a couple of friends coming up to retirement and I know that ‘What will you do with your time?’ ad infinitum drives them mad!

My DCs are adopted.
"Are they related?"
YES they have the same mum (me) and dad (DH).

Oh have you heard about X who adopted and then she got pregnant?
(That one has stopped though as I'm in my 50s and they are both primary age so I suspect people think I'm past it now!)

@VeeJayBee interestingly despite being single all my adult life, aside from a brief 9 months last year, I never ever get asked if I’m looking to settle down, if I want children, why aren’t I married. And new people I meet never ask if I’m with anyone, they just assume I’m single. Something about me just apparently screams spinster! I guess in a way it’s good not to be asked as can see how it must be so infuriating but I wonder why no one asks me!

Re twins: I would have assumed that it just meant do they look alike when it’s boy/girl twins, as it’s possible for them to still look basically the same, especially when they’re kids. I don’t think people are thinking any deeper than that?

Can see how being asked if twins are identical gets wearing though - I went to school with a girl who was a twin but her twin went to a different school, as she passed to the local grammar, me and twin A were at high school. As soon as people found out she was a twin they would ask her if they were identical, but she was tall and broad whereas twin b was petite and pretty (I actually think twin A is prettier but obviously as teenagers all people saw was that one was petite and so she was the pretty one) and I think she found it hard being asked that all the time as she used to feel a bit less than compared to her sister. Not in touch anymore so no idea how she feels about it but I’m sure she still gets asked if they are identical!

Some of the things mentioned here are justpeople making conversation. A few of you sound like really hard work!!
ALL of the things on here are us making conversation, on this forum :)
When people say "Oh, is it free then?" I'm pretty sure that 99% of the time the cashiers here give a tinkling laugh rather than rolling their eyes as they should if they hear it from my exh.

WeBuilt that's an easy one - the 22nd same day as my niece! (May totally have googled!)

I'm disgusted that you didn't already have that very basic knowledge in your head, as did I and Wikipedia

Whenever anybody finds out I'm a secondary school teacher I get told "You're brave!"
Many people ask how I put up with teenagers all day and a worrying number (usually men over a certain age) ask me how I manage not to hit them when they give me cheek and tell me they should bring back the cane, they had it at school and it never did them any harm!