You must be from Utah???!!!???!!!

[hipporina]

Of all the crazy comments we have had about the size of our family, this one takes the cake! We were waiting in line for Soarin about 2 weeks ago and this man looked at us and said "You must be from Utah." WHAT? I was totally not prepared for that one and it took a while for it to click what he was talking about. DH and I still can't stop talking about that one.

Anyone else have a stranger say something that bizarre to you?

 

[vegasnative]

I was on a plane 2 months ago, I had my 3 little ones across the aisle from me and the 2 seats next to me were empty. The guy that ended up sitting next to me told me he thought..... "great, I have to sit next to the Mormon lady." I asked him why he thought I was Mormon, he said it was because I had 3 little boys and I'm only 25!!!!!
I LOVE that man....I am NOT 25....add 9!

On the same subject. I was out with my friends 2 months ago and these 2 guys started talking to us and asked where we were from. My friend said "Utah", he asked her if she had seen the show Big Love!? Why is that just because you ARE from Utah people think you share your husband?

Anyway, I'm not Mormon, the guy had it wrong, but like I said I LOVE him because he thought I was 25! That was a good day!!

 

[nkjzmom]

Stereotypes are alive and well!!!

When people see our whole family together I get the comment "You must be either Catholic or Mormon." (I'm happy to reply that we are Mormon.)

 

[sha_lyn]

Craziest I can think of was on another BB I post on.
We were talking about religion and I said something about bing Wiccan.
Another posted said I would grow out of it when I got out of high school.
Mmmmmm OK just had my 20 yr HS reunion. the person argued with me that I had to be a teenager because only teenagers rebelling against their parent believe in Wicca.

 

[Laura]

A total stranger asked me once if I were Indian. I thought he meant if I were from India or had ancestors from there, but he meant Native American. Okay, I have brown eyes, but I'm as white as can be and have brown curly hair. I look IRISH, if anything.

 

[autumnbaby9]

I have an slightly darker skin tone that a lot of people have mistaken for Native American or Hispanic heritage. Someone once asked me how to say something in Spanish.

I told them I had no idea since I don't speak any language other than English.

They then told me it was sad that my familiy hadn't taught me my native language.

Had to explain that I don't have a drop of Spanish or Hispanic blood in me and that I'm part Irish and part English.

 

[maelstrom]

the person argued with me that I had to be a teenager because only teenagers rebelling against their parent believe in Wicca.

Some people are really great at showing just how ignorant they are without any help from others. Come on! Only teenagers believe in Wicca? There are a lot of adults and even elderly people out there who would beg to differ.

What is with the stereotypes? Not all Wiccans are rebellious teenagers. Not all Mormons practice plural marriage. Practicing the Muslim faith does not make you a terrorist. Not all Christians are bible-thumping homophobes.

 

[Goofyzgurl]

I have an slightly darker skin tone that a lot of people have mistaken for Native American or Hispanic heritage. Someone once asked me how to say something in Spanish.

I told them I had no idea since I don't speak any language other than English.

They then told me it was sad that my familiy hadn't taught me my native language.

Had to explain that I don't have a drop of Spanish or Hispanic blood in me and that I'm part Irish and part English.

Ha ha! An older Hispanic lady told me that, after I told her that I didn't speak spanish. I've had this one too. I guess I look Hispanic b/c I get a lot of that. After I told a Hispanic lady that I didn't speak spanish, she told her friend in spanish that she thought that I was too good to speak spanish. My friend speaks spanish and told me this while the lady was in front of me. I thought it was funny b/c neither of my parents are Hispanic and I'm not even from a spanish speaking country.

 

[Keggy]

I have an slightly darker skin tone that a lot of people have mistaken for Native American or Hispanic heritage. Someone once asked me how to say something in Spanish.

I told them I had no idea since I don't speak any language other than English.

They then told me it was sad that my familiy hadn't taught me my native language.

Had to explain that I don't have a drop of Spanish or Hispanic blood in me and that I'm part Irish and part English.

I got this when I worked at WDW. I had a family yelling at me because I was "refusing" to speak to them in Spanish and how I was a disgrace to my family because I didn't want to help them. I was trying to help them in English - the only language that I speak. I actually was able to get a manager nearby to help them and he had to hold it together because he knew I spoke absolutely no spanish - but he did and was able to help them...

 

[minniecarousel]

As one of eight children, growing up we would get that "you must be Catholic" line. YUP! Give the man a gold star - got that one right!

So what?!

OP - don't let it bother you. Ignorance is alive & well - unfortunately.

 

[LadyShiva]

Of all the crazy comments we have had about the size of our family, this one takes the cake! We were waiting in line for Soarin about 2 weeks ago and this man looked at us and said "You must be from Utah." WHAT? I was totally not prepared for that one and it took a while for it to click what he was talking about. DH and I still can't stop talking about that one.

Anyone else have a stranger say something that bizarre to you?

In the stranger's defense, your childrens' names do tilt towards Biblical names, and you have a good many munchkins.

*former LDS here* Now if your children were all holding Sprites, were all extremely well-mannered and did not curse, and were eating Jello, yeeeeeahhhhh... I am more tilted towards understanding the weird comment.

Brandie

 

[RVGal]

Someone needs to be introduced to a family from my church. I go to a Church of God (Pentecostal). There is a couple who are members of the church that have 11 children. She is pregnant with number 12. Their oldest kid is 22. She has had a child pretty much every other year since I've known her. Not a drop of Catholic or Mormon blood between them.

I hear people regularly say things such as, "Do they know why that pregancy thing keeps happening?" Yeah, they've got all these kids because they don't understand the concept of birth control.

"They can't possibly love and care for all those kids like they should." Uh-huh... right. Have you met these kids? They seem pretty normal to me.

"She must not want to work, so she keeps having kids so she can stay home." Oh, yeah... that's it... SO much easier to run a household than it is to get a paying job.

I could go on, but you get the point.

 

[klmall]

We used to own a big old Suburban (I luvvvved that car!) and I drove it everyday to work from school to school on my job. One time I pulled into an elementary school parking lot and got out. I guess I looked like a Mommy coming to pick up a kid because this man stopped and asked me how long I had been in the Washington, DC area. When I replied 'for practically my whole life' he seemed surprised. I asked why and he said: "because you're driving a Mormon wagon". It took me about 2 minutes to figure out that one. FYI - The Mormon Temple is within our county.

 

[BelleBoo&AmisMum]

We used to own a big old Suburban (I luvvvved that car!) and I drove it everyday to work from school to school on my job. One time I pulled into an elementary school parking lot and got out. I guess I looked like a Mommy coming to pick up a kid because this man stopped and asked me how long I had been in the Washington, DC area. When I replied 'for practically my whole life' he seemed surprised. I asked why and he said: "because you're driving a Mormon wagon". It took me about 2 minutes to figure out that one. FYI - The Mormon Temple is within our county.

We call suburbans Mormon Assault Vehicles around here. MAVs for short.

Of course I now have a MAV - but it's a mom assault vehicle. Our mormon friends have a mini-van and a prius.

 

[LadyShiva]

We call suburbans Mormon Assault Vehicles around here. MAVs for short.

Of course I now have a MAV - but it's a mom assault vehicle. Our mormon friends have a mini-van and a prius.

Have you seen how much STUFF you can get in a Prius? I had to eat my words about my mother's "small" car! It always seems to have space for more stuff. And it actually fits 3 comfortably in the back!

Brandie

 

[DISUNC]

Of all the crazy comments we have had about the size of our family, this one takes the cake! We were waiting in line for Soarin about 2 weeks ago and this man looked at us and said "You must be from Utah." WHAT? I was totally not prepared for that one and it took a while for it to click what he was talking about. DH and I still can't stop talking about that one.

Anyone else have a stranger say something that bizarre to you?

Quote from the movie Cheaper by the Dozen, 1950

Mailman: All those kids yours?

Frank Gilbreth: Oh, these aren't so many. You ought to see the ones we left behind.

 

[hydster]

Well living IN Utah and coming from a Mormon background *my whole family goes I do not* I always want to scream when people ask us if we're in a plural marriage and how many dozen kids do we have or do we wear the funny underwear! It does get VERY old. I realize people are using stereotypes and some either don't get it or are too dense to shut up but I do get so tired of it. I've gotten to the point where I tell people I'm from other states just so I can avoid the above questions.

I guess the only good thing is you don't stand out if you drive an SUV around here.

 

[BelleBoo&AmisMum]

Have you seen how much STUFF you can get in a Prius? I had to eat my words about my mother's "small" car! It always seems to have space for more stuff. And it actually fits 3 comfortably in the back!

Brandie

I have, but when you have five in your family it's pushing it! Especially when you have a little one still in a stroller.

We did a road trip with them last summer, it was pretty cozy in their car. Ours too for that matter, we were driving a jeep liberty!

 

[MoniqueU]

My husband is half cuban half american melting pot, my kids are 1/4th cuban.
No one gets it that he has blue eyes and one of my kids has blonde hair blue eyes, one with brown hair brown eyes and one with almost white blonde and brown eyes. And all are very light skinned as is my husband uneless he is im the sun for awhile. No one gets that not all cubans are dark skinned. No one gets our last name either not even in miami.

 

[horseshowmom]

Someone needs to be introduced to a family from my church. I go to a Church of God (Pentecostal). There is a couple who are members of the church that have 11 children. She is pregnant with number 12. Their oldest kid is 22. She has had a child pretty much every other year since I've known her. Not a drop of Catholic or Mormon blood between them.

I hear people regularly say things such as, "Do they know why that pregancy thing keeps happening?" Yeah, they've got all these kids because they don't understand the concept of birth control.

"They can't possibly love and care for all those kids like they should." Uh-huh... right. Have you met these kids? They seem pretty normal to me.

"She must not want to work, so she keeps having kids so she can stay home." Oh, yeah... that's it... SO much easier to run a household than it is to get a paying job.

I could go on, but you get the point.

Especially a household with 12 kids!

My SIL has 5 children. They're a wonderful, well adjusted family with kids who have grown up to have great families of their own. I've just got one, and that's fine with me, but I do envy her sometimes. They're all always there for each other, no matter what.