We get a lot of comments from people about our family when we go out in public. And even though it happens a lot, it still catches me off guard and sometimes I’m not sure how to respond.

Like yesterday when I went in for a physical. We sat down in the waiting room and a man looked over and asked how many sons I had. 

“Four sons and she’s a daughter.” I gestured to my boys and then reached out to touch Shoo-Shee’s stroller.

“Wow!” His eyebrows rose. “Your hands are full!”

“Yes, they are.” I smiled. I get that comment a lot and never know what to say… Yep!

“You have one full hand!” he continued and held up a hand.

I laughed. That was a new one!

“Four fingers and a tum.” He pointed to his fingers and thumb.

“That’s true.” I nodded and smiled again.

Then after my appointment, Scooters asked if he could try the blood pressure machine and I said sure.

As we waited, a woman pushed her elderly mother in a wheelchair down the hall where we were.

In a voice laced with a heavy undercurrent of contempt, the elderly mother asked, “Are they all yours?”

Something about the way her voice sounded brought out the perfect response in me. 

“You bet!” I beamed back. “They are all mine!” Then I smiled around at my awesome children.

The daughter pushing the wheelchair smiled back. “What a good-looking group of kids.”

“Thank you! They sure are.”