I don't like money. It makes me uncomfortable. I know we all need it but I hate what it does to people. Especially those people that let it completely run their lives. The kind of people that when I announced my pregnancy to them said "Woo, having a baby is expensive!" rather than the congratulations I was expecting. Or a comment I heard when I said that Grant was starting solid foods "Oh your grocery bill is gonna get high!" instead of, well, anything else they could have said.
But when did it become socially acceptable to talk about your financial situation in general conversation? When did it become OK to ask someone - actually ask someone - about their financial situation as if it were their business?
Yesterday while having a conversation with a person in my office building they asked how Grant is doing, specifically how he's sleeping. It turned into a conversation about all sorts of things including day care which I said I wasn't happy with. That person said that it seems like we should switch to a new day care. I told them that my husband doesn't want to do that, he just wants me to quit my job *chuckle*. To which they replied "Well, does your husband make enough money for you to quit your job?" with a slightly condescending tone (typical of this person). I was floored. Is that the new normal? Am I silly for feeling like this was completely uncalled for? Perhaps I need to get out more, but I'd like to know when it became socially acceptable to ask someone a question like that.
Hey Tara, here are my thoughts on this blog: If it were somebody that I were close to, such as one of my sisters or a close friend, then asking about my family's finances would be ok, because I talk about that stuff with them anyways. However, if that question came from a co-worker, or somebody who was merely an aquantance, that is completely different. That question coming from a co-worker/aquantance would come across to me as though they want to "compare" financial situations to see who makes more money. Ugh. Definately not an office topic to me.
ReplyDelete*Kathy Patterson*