Grandma Does It Again

My grandma has an uncanny ability to say the wrong thing at the wrong time, to zero in on your insecurities at your weakest point. Case in point: After a summer spent working out and thinking I looked great, upon seeing me she said "Oh honey, are you okay? You look anemic." A second example is, after securing a very cute outfit to wear to a family party, she said "Oh honey, are you really going to wear that coat with that? It looks weird."

Thankfully, my self esteem is not based on what what she thinks. Nevertheless, she managed to do this again today by phone. Yes, she can do this even long-distance. When I was dating a boy with an exotic name who was, well, not from the Midwest, she would say "Oh honey, you're too young to even think of marriage" while inquiring about what my old high school boyfriend, a nice Midwestern boy, was up to and if we still kept in touch. In the same conversation she would then speculate when my younger cousin would get engaged.

And tonight, after a week of being a little bit sensitive about being single, she says "Haven't you met any nice boys in DC?" Hmmph! "No Grandma, but if you know of any you can send them my way," was my candid reply. At least she didn't ask me "Do you use e-harmony? I don't want you to be old and alone," as I later found out she asked my mom today.