Taking it all back

With the holidays looming, I'm getting increasingly anxious to field questions from family members regarding my fertility (or lack there of). The Bear thinks I am worrying too much (surprise) and thinks I should just smile, shrug and say, "We're working on it." I would like to respond to whomever asks me if we're ever having kids by delivering a swift throat punch to silence them. Realistically, I'm trying to work on a very nice comment/response that basically means, "none of your damn business." But The Bear has sternly warned me that my cool response might spark more gossip, which I would like to avoid. I would prefer it if my malfunctioning lady bits are not a topic of discussion while I'm eating cheesy potatoes at Thanksgiving dinner.

I am aware that when people ask pointed questions about babies, it is not meant to be hurtful or rude. Cripes, how many times have I asked that question pre-IF? I ask so many questions, I'm so freakin' nosy. I can't even tell you how many times I've asked a young couple, "When are you FINALLY going to get married?" And the list of uncomfortable questions really don't end there:

When are you graduating?
When are you buying a house?
Why aren't you moving in together before marriage?
Why haven't you found a job?
When are you moving out of the city to the suburbs?
Why aren't you drinking--are you pregnant?
Are you ever going to have a second child? Third? Fourth? Eighth?

I think I've learned my lesson about treading lightly among loved ones. Someone might as well hand me and my nosy ass a giant shoe horn to remove my massive foot from my mouth. I guess the moral of the story is you never really know what someone is going through or how hard of a time they might be having until you walk a hard road yourself. Corny, but true.

On another note, my Mom (now a loyal reader!) gently reminded me that I should think about expanding the circle of trust to include more family members. She has a valid point, as most mothers annoyingly do. I'm thinking of an appropriate way to get people up to speed...it's not like I'm going to send out a mass email that says "Hey! My ovaries are jacked up! What's new with you?"

I guess I'll have to figure something out.