Sometimes, people say things without realizing how incredibly rude their comments were. It's usually little things that aren't typically regarded as mean, but it leaves the person it's directed toward feeling terrible.
Here's a list of things you probably shouldn't be saying to people...
- I feel like this one is a given, but "When are you due?/How far along are you?"
WITHOUT KNOWING FOR SURE THAT THE WOMAN YOU HAVE ASKED IS PREGNANT. I know it's tempting to rub the belly, but unless you have all the facts concerning that belly, don't say a word. I've seen it happen to a lot of women and it ruins their entire day to have someone ask about their food baby.
Trust me. It's for the best.
- "Smile."
Oh, shut up. This one usually comes from men, but I've had a few women say it to me too. It usually happens when I'm washing dishes at work (Seriously) or when I'm walking down the street. And, this comment is followed up with a "Oh, it's not that bad." How do you know?
I don't smile on command and I've never met anyone that just smiles when told to. And if anything, it just makes me grimace and pisses me off to no end.
Don't tell people what to do with their bodies.
- "You look tired."
I maintain that this is just a way to tell someone they look terrible. I never tell people they look tired because it's a glorified way of saying, "You look like shit."
I wake up at 4 am every day, so I hear this one a lot and it always grinds my gears. I woke up before the sun came up and if I don't have my entire cup of coffee, of course I'm going to be tired. We both know how I look so just keep it to yourself.
- "Are you going to eat ALL that?"
Unless you're my brother and you plan on stealing the food off my plate (which has been known to happen), my food does not concern you. Anytime you comment on the amount of food someone is eating, you have just ruined their entire meal and/or day.
Other unacceptable variations include, "Man, that's a lot of food" and "Who are you sharing with?"
I admit. These are small things, but they can easily ruin someone's day. Be conscious of your words because you can very easily hurt someone's feelings.
And don't tell me to smile.Labels: advice, lists, rants