Rant: A woman at the grocery store in Tucson asked me if my son was 'really mine'

I was picking up some milk with my boy, who is six and was adopted. A woman in line behind us looked at him, then at me, and said, 'He's got such different coloring. Is he really yours?' It happened right by the checkout, under those bright lights. I just said yes, he is, and paid. But her tone was so full of doubt, like she was checking a fact. It stuck with me because it wasn't mean, just careless. It made the whole trip feel like I was being watched. That one question in a normal place can make you feel like you have to prove your family. Has anyone else had a stranger question your connection to your kid in a public spot?

2 comments

2 Comments

evah403d agoMost Upvoted

Did she really say that right in front of your son? Some people don't think before they speak at all. I'm sorry you had to deal with that.

pat_perry3d ago

Yeah, it's that weird need people have to make everything fit a simple box. You see it with families that don't match some cookie-cutter look.