NIAW - Scenario No. 2

Scenario No. 2:

Martha pulled off a “Rhonda” on Susie 4 years later, but by now, Susie is tired of giving the same lame-o excuses.  I mean, the “maybe in a couple of years” excuse isn’t quite cutting it anymore.  People are starting to think Susie stinks at math.  Susie is quite matter-of-fact with Martha and explains, “We are just having a really difficult time getting pregnant.”

DON’T:  Start spewing advice left and right (unless she asks for it, of course).  Has she seen a specialist?  Most likely she’s seen every doctor in town plus a few more in the big city two hours away, not including the acupuncturist, the massage therapist, the naturopath healer, the witch doctor and DSW (it has healing powers too!).  Has she tried using Maca?  She went through three cases of the stuff and still no baby.  Has she tried to relax?  Girrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrl, don’t even get me started on that one.

DO:  Get a hint.  You are prying into some very personal stuff.  Just say, “I’m sorry to hear that.  If you’d like to talk about it, I’d be happy to listen.”  She might not actually open up to you about it, but just knowing you are there to support her helps out a lot.

If you ARE Susie…

DON’T:  Expect Martha to get a hint and drop the subject.

DO:  Be prepared to hear about every possible solution Martha can think of on the spot.  Be prepared for other people to get uncomfortable when you drop the “i”-bomb on them.  Even though they asked the question, it wasn’t the answer they were expecting.  Now it’s your turn to be sympathetic.  Just shrug it off and change the subject before their eyes become cross-eyed from trying to look anywhere but your face.  Hopefully next time they’ll be a bit more sensitive about the subject.