There are some things you should comment on when you see other people. For example, you shouldn’t talk about someone’s weight, how tired they look, and, of course, the classic when they are planning to get pregnant.
I have no idea when talking points like that became socially acceptable. If it’s rude to ask your aunt about their adult acne then it’s also rude to tell a married (or single!) woman that they are running out of time (or viable eggs!).
It’s not a comfortable topic of conversation under the best circumstances and it’s certainly not appropriate in a casual setting. A Redditor recently learned how difficult it is to dodge these types of questions.
Her struggle has something to do about pregnancy and she had to resort to drastic measures to stop people from stomping on her boundaries. OP (original poster) says she and her husband have been married for six years.
They don’t have any children yet but it is a part of their plans. Their friends are more impatient about the situation since they have been giving them grief about when they will start popping babies.
The couple wished that they would stop pressuring them because this is obviously out of their control, but their loved ones can’t seem to take the hint. So, OP tapped on her creative side to solve this annoying issue.
She got an empty jar and called it the “Pregnancy Jar”
Much like a swear jar, anytime that someone asks OP about being pregnant, she will ask them to “donate” a dollar for asking. The interrogators would look at the jar puzzled but they will eventually donate a dollar.
They caught on to the purpose of the jar after a while. For four blissful months, their friends and family stopped asking OP anything related to her child-bearing prowess.
The bliss ended when they had dinner at her parents’ house. OP’s brother just got back from a month-long business trip and they were due for a little catch up.
During the dinner, the unwitting brother asked OP when she and her husband were planning to have kids. OP’s husband paused while OP stood up, holding the pregnancy jar, and made a beeline to her brother.
She asked him to drop a dollar in the jar for asking the question. Her brother laughed nervously and asked if OP was serious.
They were all watching them when the brother said he didn’t have to pay OP anything and she said, he also didn’t have to ask that question but here they are. OP could see that her brother was embarrassed but he donated a dollar anyway.
OP went back to her seat and resumed eating as if nothing happened. The awkwardness was palpable in the air and OP’s mom pulled her aside for a little chat.
Her mom told her she shouldn’t have embarrassed her brother in front of his family. She was also told to stop acting childish by bringing the pregnancy jar everywhere and asking people to give her a dollar.
OP replied that they should stop asking her that question then. Her mom tried to justify it by saying everyone was just worried about OP not being able to get pregnant due to her age.
They are, after all, in their mid-30s and if they want at least one healthy baby, they are running out of time. An argument blew up after that and the couple left the dinner.