My "Child"

Where do I begin?



Well, apparently, I have a child. I guess I was pregnant for 9 months, gave birth, and knew nothing about it. Interesting isn't it? It is amazing what one person's misconception(s) can cause. Before I get started, let me just say a few things; I do not mean any disrespect to anyone who has a child or is currently pregnant. I am not speaking for everyone. I am simply speaking for myself, expressing my own personal opinions.



Those who know me, know that I am a frequent user of myspace and facebook. Those who know me, also know that I take a lot of pictures of myself, family, friends, events, etc. So, with that being said, I have a quite of few albums of pictures on facebook. I have pictures of my two nieces and my God son. While I may not have labeled every single picture indicating who the child is (did not think I had to), I did make it clear that the pictures were of my nieces and God son. But, somehow it was concluded that I have a child. What really bothered me about this situation is that people are so quick to make assumptions, jump to conclusions, and judge a person based on their personal expectations.



To further elaborate, I grew up in a town that is infamous for complacency. This may sound very opinionated, but trust me, this is not opinion based, it is a FACT! It is filled with people that lead stagnant lifestyles (not everyone). A lot of people in my age cohort have children (again, no disrespect to anyone who has a child, just expressing my opinion). The church I went to (the only black baptist church in the town) is also filled with generations of stagnant people. Generations of people who have nothing better to do with their time than to gossip about other people's success and endeavors as opposed to making positive things happen in their lives. There are individuals making baby after baby after baby without adequate means of supporting their offspring (again, this message does not apply to everyone in this town or at this church). So, I have concluded that the individual who assumed I had a child has categorized me with the stagnancy in that community.



To make it worse, this individual expressed his congratulatory remarks about my new "bundle of joy" to my mother and a group of people after church service. For the record, let me just say, I am sure he meant no harm by his remarks, but considering the number of gossipers in that congregation, it is fuel for their fire. And clearly, these remarks have started a fire.



I don't know what bothers me more, the individual that made the conclusion or that some of my family would think that I would hide a baby.



I am grown. I have a college degree. I have an apartment. I am in a long term and stable relationship. I have a great job. I have the means of supporting myself, so why would I hide a pregnancy or a child? Now, let me also say, I AM NOT TRYING TO HAVE A BABY ANYTIME SOON. I have set my own personal goals for parenting; these goals include, being married, having another degree (masters or working towards PhD), owning property, and being at least a few years older. But, if I were pregnant or had a child, would there be a need to hide it? Definitely not. . .



I guess this entry was for me to vent. It bothers me when people make assumptions. It bothers me when people pass judgment on others. It bothers me that certain people would think I would hide a baby. I guess at some point, I shouldn't concern myself with what others think, no matter who it is. . .