Please stand by for a Public Service Announcement ...

This is my contribution for today. Well, maybe not the only one, but at least for now.

I know some might look at this photo and laugh. It's cute. It's funny. But, it's not.

It's sad. Can I be honest? Well, I can't help but be honest and transparent to my own detriment, so I'll let fly anyway.

I have been asked MULTIPLE times over the last three years when I am due. Seriously. I have been asked at the grocery store, dry cleaners, on vacation, and at a HIGH-IMPACT AEROBIC CLASS. No  joke. The lady that asked in the aerobic class is lucky she didn't get clubbed with a pink dumbbell.

Friends, Romans, countrymen: lend me your ears. DO NOT ask a woman if she is pregnant or when she is due. Under NO circumstances. Please. Even if you have the sweetest intentions. Don't. Just don't.

I can't speak for other women, so I'll speak for myself, which I'm really good at doing.

Asking someone if they are pregnant or when they are due when they are not expecting hurts. It's like a dagger in the heart. Honestly. I'm not being dramatic.

Here are two reasons it has hurt me in the past (which I assume other women would associate with as well):

1. Weight ~ It's no secret on this blog that I have a weight problem. Unfortunately for me, most of my extra weight gets carried right in my belly. Yay me. So, at any given time if I'm overweight, I look pregnant. Three months, seven months, ten months, whatever. I have bad posture to boot, so that doesn't help me look any less expecting.

In essence, if you ask someone this question and they're not expecting, they instantly move to a place of insecurity and shame. It's like, "Well, you OBVIOUSLY must be pregnant. Otherwise, why would your gut be THAT big?" If you've never had weight problems, you won't get this. But trust me on it.

2. Infertility ~ Many times, weight problems and fertility issues go hand in hand. Due to my weight and PCOS, I have been unable to have a second child thus far. My heart aches a little every time I allow myself to go there and think about how much I desire to be a mother again. I'm tearing up typing this.

As a woman, fertility issues really jack up your mind. It's like you're broken. I mean, you can't do the one thing a woman is supposed to do: bear children. It is so very traumatic. Imagine asking someone if they are expecting when they cannot even have children. Awful. Painful. Devastating.

So, that's my PSA for today. Just don't do it. It's likely that if you do, the person in front of you won't break down on the spot, so you'll be saved the misery. However, it IS likely that they will absorb the errant comment, internalize it, and fall into pieces later, long after you have gone about your day.

Sensitivity to others is important. We owe it to each other. Keep your question to yourself.