A mother of twins has posted a photo of her daughters with a list of answers to the intrusivea questions she often receives about them. (Photo: Facebook/Uncanny Annie)
If you are a parent, you may have been asked some pretty personal questions about your children from well-meaning strangers as had one mother of twins, Annie Nolan, who aired her frustrations about the intrusive inquiries with an online rant and is now receiving backlash.
The Australian blogger and mother-of-three, Nolan, 26, was increasingly frustrated by the barrage of comments and questions she received whenever she left the house with her 2-year-old twin girls, Delphine and Cheska. So she wrote a humorous cheat sheet of answers and attached it to her daughters double stroller. On Thursday, Nolan posted a photo of the sign and her girls to her blog Uncanny Annies Facebook page, where it quickly racked up 21,000 likes and more than 7,000 shares.
Nolan, who did not return a request for comment from Yahoo Parenting, captioned the photo, I REALLY wanted to leave these signs on the pram today�I know people are coming from a great place and are just curious however many can be quite intrusive and after a while its just plain exhausting. Although Nolan didnt actually leave the house with the sign, online commenters are saying shes an ungrateful and neglectful mother.
Some gems from Nolans sign include:
Yes they are mine.
Yes they are twins.
No, not identical.
Conceived by f***ing.
Born via C-section.
Yes, my hands are full.
On Monday, Nolan took to Facebook again to address her critics. She wrote, in part, This photo was staged. I did not actually walk them around like this� If I had of known it was going to be this big, I wouldnt [have] sworn. It was my way of expressing my frustration with the are they natural question� absolutely NEVER meant to hurt a single soul with this photo�I am grateful for my children EVERYDAY.
You may relate to Nolan if youve ever been hit with personal child-related questions asking about everything from your method of conception or childbirth to various parenting choices. And if its unwelcome, it can feel intrusive. Its possible that simply seeing a woman with kids evokes a sense of familiarity within a fellow parent or that, because pregnancy is feted in pop culture, people assume the topic is up for discussion.
When my son was 3 months old, for example,I was stunned into silence when a woman approached me in a store and asked, C-section or vaginal birth? And Im not the only one check out these other personal questions that mothers I know have been asked in public:
Are you trying?
Are you going to have another?
How long are you going to continue nursing?
Isnt she a little old for that?
Is that drink for you?
[Upon hearing I was formula feeding]: But doesnt that make babies obese?
And, for the win: Are you planning to have you vagina stretched prior to delivering your baby?
It all makes you see where Nolans coming from.
Edited by
Datwasntme
on Mon 07/13/15 06:03 PM
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