As a parent, one of the things I have found in common with other parents is the new found doubt in our appeal to those who are not married to us, or conceived by us. I don't even remember the last time someone held a door for me, or asked me...well, asked me anything other than "oh, how old is she?" or "Wow, expecting another?" The last one, by the way, was asked by a woman two aisles over in Trader Joe's to which I bitterly replied, "No, I'm just fat." That was a great day.
Today, however was different. I was out for a nap time walk with my little one, dressed in a lovely ensemble of capri sweat pants, dirty tank top and MBTs. (MBTs, by the way, are simply delightful. People will ask you why you are wearing such "interesting" shoes, but your back will feel fantastic. So treat yourself.)
It happened.
"Woo hoo! Yeah Baby! Nice one!"
I look up to see a white van with a man hanging out the window. A paper bag in one hand, and a long flowing mullet blowing behind him, he gave me the thumbs up and blew me a kiss.
Most women would be immediately horrified and disgusted, but all I could think about was, "does this count as being whistled at?"
I decided it did, but still felt the need to ask everyone I talked to for their opinion. So far everyone agrees that I can count it, and that's good enough for me.
Awkward?
I would imagine we have all been there as parents...you are at the park, your kid starts playing with another kid and you strike up a conversation with the parent. Two hours later, you and your new mommy buddy are laughing and having a great time while your kids play together beautifully. Then it happens. One of you has to leave, and there is that moment. The "wow I had a really great time on our first date" moment. The "I'm not sure if I should give you my number so we can have a playdate" moment. So you both just stand there and go through as many goodbyes as you can before one of you has to break away and throw in the towel. Driving home, you wonder if you made the right decision...
The only thing MORE awkward than this is when the parent is a dad.
I had this happen yesterday. At the beach, kids playing together and having such a great time, Dad and I talking about hybrid cars and minivans..."wow, you live right in our neighborhood!"..."Oh, your wife sounds great!" Blah, blah, blah...then it was time for him to head out for his youngest to take her nap.
We stood there.
"Well..."
"So nice to meet you..."
"Yeah..."
Then he left. Awkward.
I have decided that we should create a code word for other parents so that everyone can know that it's ok to ask the other parent for a playdate, but if one isn't interested, they can just ignore the signal and leave. Hmmmm...it would have to be something subtle, but obvious enough that we would get it. "I really like Cracker Jacks," or "wasn't the Electric Company a great show?"
I'll work on this one, I think it's worthy...let's save ourselves from this.
The only thing MORE awkward than this is when the parent is a dad.
I had this happen yesterday. At the beach, kids playing together and having such a great time, Dad and I talking about hybrid cars and minivans..."wow, you live right in our neighborhood!"..."Oh, your wife sounds great!" Blah, blah, blah...then it was time for him to head out for his youngest to take her nap.
We stood there.
"Well..."
"So nice to meet you..."
"Yeah..."
Then he left. Awkward.
I have decided that we should create a code word for other parents so that everyone can know that it's ok to ask the other parent for a playdate, but if one isn't interested, they can just ignore the signal and leave. Hmmmm...it would have to be something subtle, but obvious enough that we would get it. "I really like Cracker Jacks," or "wasn't the Electric Company a great show?"
I'll work on this one, I think it's worthy...let's save ourselves from this.
Amazon.com
Everyone told me to list my products on Amazon, so I did. I read the millions of confusing pages of catagories, listing ideas, photo uploads...and finally I did it! I felt a great sense of accomplishment at clearing the hurdles of yet another online store. The products looked great, page seemed as comprehensive as an Amazon page can get, and I was on my way.
Until I received the email about $39.95 being charged to my account this morning.
"Huh?" I said out loud as I read it. Then I went into my Amazon account and searched around about this fee. Couldn't find it. So I called...
Turns out the "30 day fee trial" was for a web store, and I was merely selling items. Confusing? Yes.
"What's the difference?" I asked.
"The icon you clicked to enter the area where you set up the store."
Crap.
So I explained my stupidity and hoped she would feel sorry for me and reverse the charge and make me happy about my account. Instead, she directed me to the page I somehow skipped that explains the fee.
Crap.
Now I'm in a back and forth email conversation with a robot to try and get the account cancelled. As if the phone conversation with the robot wasn't enough.
The worst part is that I'm outraged not only at them, but at myself for somehow missing this! I hate surprise fees, hidden charges...who doesn't? Lesson learned. I'll chalk it up to being naive and try to make it up to myself. Hmmmm, chocolate? Yes.
Until I received the email about $39.95 being charged to my account this morning.
"Huh?" I said out loud as I read it. Then I went into my Amazon account and searched around about this fee. Couldn't find it. So I called...
Turns out the "30 day fee trial" was for a web store, and I was merely selling items. Confusing? Yes.
"What's the difference?" I asked.
"The icon you clicked to enter the area where you set up the store."
Crap.
So I explained my stupidity and hoped she would feel sorry for me and reverse the charge and make me happy about my account. Instead, she directed me to the page I somehow skipped that explains the fee.
Crap.
Now I'm in a back and forth email conversation with a robot to try and get the account cancelled. As if the phone conversation with the robot wasn't enough.
The worst part is that I'm outraged not only at them, but at myself for somehow missing this! I hate surprise fees, hidden charges...who doesn't? Lesson learned. I'll chalk it up to being naive and try to make it up to myself. Hmmmm, chocolate? Yes.
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