The Rudeness

I thought I would focus on the rudeness of strangers. I haven't encountered any regarding my condition yet; probably because I am not showing. But I have heard the stories and I believe it is better to be prepared than to encounter this rudeness with complete shock and offense. There are both questions and actions that when taken by family or close friends are fine and acceptable, but when these same actions and comments are made by acquaintances or strangers are unacceptably rude. The one that I'm anticipating will bother me the most is the touching of my belly. No one, and I do mean NO ONE, has the right to touch another person without permission or an impending need. This extends to my shoulder, belly, head, or knee. The people that have permission are my husband, my family, and a handful of friends. However, even this handful of friends is so respectful that I am betting they will ask before sneaking a hand over my midsection. This is why I cherish their friendship. One of the comments that bother me is: was this pregnancy planned? Or was it a "surprise?" This is rude. Very rude. I haven't yet figured out what difference it makes. Are planned babies more loved than surprise babies? How is this your business? Does it give you a bit more information on which to judge the mother? I can't imagine someone saying "Oh, her - she's too stupid to figure out how birth control works." Or, "They will be great parents because they really wanted this child." Those are terrible statements to make. Maybe it's from working in an OB/GYN office, but there are just things you don't do and you don't say to pregnant women; and it's not because they can't handle it - it is because it is RUDE.

To answer the rude question, C said we could have a baby when he was making X amount of dollars per hour (he's making more than that) and we owned a house. Picture of home sweet home follows. It was pretty for Christmas. So, do you think this was planned or a surprise?