Dear Old Man,
Thanks. I’ve never met you before, but yet, you felt the need to pry into my personal business. At the gym. While I am walking with my child in the hallway. Thanks Old Man for asking my daughter “do you have a younger brother?” “do you have a younger sister?” Thanks for listening and ending the conversation when she politely said “no.” Oh wait, you felt the need to get more personal? Thanks for asking me, and my daughter, “why not? don’t you want to baby?”
So, I truly am in a better place with my PTSD, but this question would have sent me into a full and complete panic attack. No wonder I avoided novel situations, or uncontrollable situations like the plague while fully involved in PTSD. Thanks Old Man, for reinforcing my reasons I avoided everyone and everything in the throes of PTSD. Turns out that trigger was not irrational anticipatory anxiety because people like you exist.
PTSD aside, what if I had a physical reason I could no longer have kids easily. Oh, wait, I do have that reason. Thanks Old Man for making me more anxious about my current physical situation.
And not to mention, there are some people in this world who do not want more kids. What if my financial situation was such that more kids were irresponsible? What if, god forbid, I was no longer married or with a partner who wanted kids? What if, what if, what if?
Thanks Old Man for being a nosy busy body. And no, you don’t get a pass just because you’re old.
Thanks for reading,
Lauren
