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My daughter has triplets.When their imminent arrival was announced, this seemed to arouse horror and fascination in equal measure. "Oh my God!" was the most common response; not "congratulations" or anything encouraging like that. Just shock/ horror. When they arrived, and throughout their babyhood, wherever they went, they were treated like some kind of freak show. People stared, pointed, and asked questions. The most frequently-asked (and the most intrusive) question was"did you have fertility treatment?"; this from perfect strangers, who would probably have been appalled if anyone had asked them about their own sex lives ( after all, however you make triplets, sex has to be involved somewhere along the line). "How do you tell them apart?" was another one, but as they looked completely different from day one, this was just a silly question.
They've got past that stage now, and the questions have pretty well dried up, but I still remember with mixed feelings heaving an industrial-sized pushchair through the streets of Kingston and being treated like a cross between a two-headed monster and a celebrity.
And why am I posting this? Because the WIP is proving a bit recalcitrant, that's why. And because I wanted to brighten up my blog with another photo .
Being pregnant and having babies is the one thing in life which seems to make people feel that they have a right to do and say intrusive things. I'll never forget having a perfect stranger come up to me on Southampton common when I was pregnant with my first son, pat my bump and ask me when the baby was due!!
ReplyDeleteBut thanks for posting this photo - definitely a day brightener to see three such lovely-looking children!
Thanks, Alis. Yes - I'd forgotten about the pats on the bump. As you say, pregnancy and babies seem to herald a strange sort of open season, when just about anything goes.
ReplyDeleteThey are beautiful girls!
ReplyDeleteThanks, Eliza. (Actually, the middle one's a boy, but he's still pretty gorgeous!).
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