speak up!

i went to a wedding reception last saturday evening with my youngest child. he was a hit! people wanted to look at him, to tickle his little double chin, to tell me how adorable he is (i say, "thank you." my mother says, "i know!" she's right: being a grandma is better).

have you ever noticed that people will talk to your babies instead of to you? i hate that. they look at the little guy and ask, "what's your name?" with mouse, this just confused me. i didn't really answer until they looked at me again, obviously wondering why i wasn't answering. it's not like i thought she would answer, i just wondered if maybe it was a rhetorical question since it was obvious to me that newborn mouse didn't even notice anyone was even looking at her.

so i did what any new and confused mother would do, i went to my own mother and asked her about it. "what am i supposed to do?" i asked.

with a shrug, she said, "you just answer for your baby." since this practice is so irritating, i thought of ways i could answer to show them i disapprove of the whole talk-to-me-through-my-baby technique. one option: answer in a teeny-tiny pretend newborn voice. and insist on keeping up the conversation through the baby. or the less offensive tactic, not say anything until they look at me and say, "he's the strong, silent type."