Twin Talkin'

Wednesday afternoon the boys and I spent some quality time together at the Rutherford County Social Security office. Because, um, I just might have misplaced some uh, very important pieces of information they needed for kindergarten registration.

The experience was typical of any you might have waiting around in a government-operated office. There was a terrifying picture of Dick Cheney on the wall that I swore was trying to talk to me and there were loads of people sitting around looking like they were having the best possible day ever.

I wasn't exactly thrilled to be there either, as we hadn't exactly had the smoothest morning. So after we shuffled through the door, i just tried to sit down, get settled, and hope for the best. I looked straight ahead and desperately tried to not make eye contact with anyone, I just wasn't in the mood for small talk.

However, from the moment I sat down I could feel the eyes of the woman next to me burning into the side of my head. I tried to ignore it, but it was no use.

"Are they twins?" she asked looking at the boys.

Ugh, worse than small talk even! It was twin talk. Don't get me wrong, I love talking about my kids as much as the next mom, but sometimes, when it comes to talking about twins, people can get nosy, and personal.

"My twins are 16." She continued. 'Ok, another twin mom', I thought I'll at least give her the benefit of the doubt. She asked the usual questions, age, names, identical or fraternal. And then she started asking me about school. But I didn't even have time to answer, because she just went on talking. and talking. and talking.

She went on doling out advice here, sharing her sob story there. I was beginning to get nervous. Her stories were getting kind of frightening, like I was watching some horror movie titled "How NOT to Raise Twins". The defining moment though was her final statement...

"Now that they're sixteen they still pretty much just talk to each other, I don't think they have any real friends."

Uh, ok.

We had passed the TMI mark a long time ago, so when she said that, I wasn't quite sure how to respond. Oh that's great? Or, wow, thats positively dreadful? I just kind of froze.

And then they called her number.

Suddenly it was silent in the room. I was kind of dumbfounded. I mean, i'm used to getting advice or a life story from about every third person in the grocery store or at the bank, but, phew, this one was kind of exhausting.

Does this happen to you too? Do you ever find yourself getting unsolicited advice from the most random of strangers? Please say yes, I don't want to be alone....