What Would You Do?

Do you stop and talk to people every time someone stops you or tries to stop you while out shopping or running errands?

We were talking about this over on the Triplet Connection Forum just now, and I thought that I would ask everyone and see what everyone else does in similar situations.

I know that when I am out doing things such as shopping, or taking my kids to doctor's
appointments, I will get stopped by people who want to talk about my multiples.

Some even only want to stare at my kids as if they were some sort of circus freak or sideshow attraction.

Then there are some people who really do have nice things to say and are pleasant. I don't mind stopping to talk to pleasant people.

But, there are some very unpleasant people and some that I just do not really want my kids to be around.

So...do you stop for these sorts of curious people always as a general rule, or do you smile, nod and keep going in hopes that they will understand.

I had an incident the other afternoon at a department store where someone just looked at my tiny trio and burst out laughing (it was nervous laughter, not funny ha ha.)

I checked my kids to make sure that nobody was picking anything out of any orifice of their body. or doing something that they perhaps may have learned from their big brother in error.

There were no silly faces, no bogeys being offered to strangers as peace offerings (yes this does happen!) I could not find anything weird or funny even.

They were all three just sitting there, hanging out, innocently strapped into their stroller.

I really did not know how to react to this one. I do worry that as my kids get older, that they will eventually figure out what is going on and get upset over the actions and things that other people do and say when they see them.

Then, there was the probably well-meaning people who stopped to ask if my kids were triplets while I was trying to get them all loaded into their car seats from the buggy in the grocery store parking lot.

These folks actually tried to peer into my mini-van door and ask me questions about my babies.

I couldn't tell you what they were saying, though, because Kian was screaming at the time.

I had accidentally pinched his leg in the buckle of his car seat after hearing a noise at the door and looking up to see find that we had an audience.

I tried to be nice, but at this point I was very frustrated and unhappy as I had just hurt my own baby all because of these people who were doing things that folks normally would not do to other people in a parking lot.

I don't know what it is about triplets or higher order multiples that make people react this way.

Normally, people do not corner other people in the stores or even in their own vehicles like what happened to us, just so they can talk about your kids and ask questions about them for their own curiosity.

Usually, I am pretty good about being tolerant of the well-meaning public, but sometimes, too much is too much.

If someone looked at your one child, and laughed at them (especially if that child wasn't doing anything to warrant it,) how would you feel?

How would it make you feel to be literally chased by people asking questions that range from things such as , "Are those twins" to, "Are they real?"

One lady was actually cornered by a group of older teen aged boys and their fathers in a store and she felt very intimidated by them.

Why is it that people feel that it is okay to treat us like this? What makes them feel compelled to be so ugly to us when we try and explain that we cannot stop and talk right now (because we do not have the time, are late for an appointment etc?)

You have to wonder if these people would treat us like this if we only had one baby, or even a handicapped child.

So, mothers of multiples, do you stop and talk to people when they try and stop you and ask questions or do you smile and keep forging ahead?

How do you handle this type of situation, and does it bother you sometimes?