Why I Need a New Grocery Store

What the lady behind me in line at the grocery store said: "Wow, that is a lot of boys!" 



What I thought:  Wow.  I never thought about it, but it does kind of look like all four of them are mine.  I mean, the other two boys I'm babysitting are 2 and 4 years old, just like mine, but they're so much taller that it makes them seem like they're older. 

Geez, what if I wasn't just babysitting?  What if they were all mine?  Could I even handle four kids?  I doubt it.  Having two is exhausting enough.  How would I handle four?   I mean, we've got the bedroom space for them, but it'd be awful.  And poor Squid would become a middle child, and he seems like the kind of kid who would really rebel in his teen years if he was a middle child. 

Oh, crap, if they were all mine I'd probably have to get a minivan, wouldn't I?  And I'd have to sell my new Scion, and I really like that car. 

Oh, crap.  She said something, didn't she?  She looks like she's waiting for a response.

What did she say?

Oh, yeah.  She said, "That's a lot of boys!" 

I should say something back. 

What do I say in response?  If I say "Yeah!" then it makes it sound like they're all mine, and what if I bump into her for some reason a couple months down the road, and she thinks I have four kids, and prides herself on remembering, and then I have to correct her in front of everyone, and it embarrasses her...

I wonder if she's just commenting on the amount of boys... or does she really think they're all mine?  Do I look like the kind of person who has four kids?  Great.  Now I feel old.  Who the heck even has four kids in a row like this?  I mean, aside from the Duggars.  How many do they have now?  It's in the twenties or somethings, I think. Those people are crazy.

Geez.  Life with four kids.  That would be crazy.  It would have to be on purpose, wouldn't it?  I mean, you can't have four "mistakes" in a row, can you?  Sure, I didn't get pregnant on purpose with my two, but that's still kind of understandable.  Two mistakes is sort of reasonable, although it's still a little embarrassing.  Four mistakes?  Heck, once you even hit three "oops" pregnancies, let alone four, that's not mistakes, that's just being irresponsible.  

Shoot.  She's still looking at me, and I haven't answered.  What do I say?  This is getting awkward.  Just say something, Becky!

What I replied:  Oh, they're not all mine.  Four kids?  I'm not that irresponsible!

What my cashier said, in a very cold voice:   I have four children.

And now you all know why I'll be driving to the next town over to do my grocery shopping from now on.