Stereotyping

Okay....here we go. Today, we got in the mail an invitation to Phil's nephew's girlfriend's baby shower. It's being held in NY. We live in OK. It was held today. The mother-to-be wrote, "we know you can't make it but we want you to know the baby will be here on February 9th." This to me translates to, "I know I never met you but please send us a check or a gift card or something."

Yeah, I have no problem sending something..seriously but here's the thing. I hate to stereotype and judge but I'm going to anyway. This is Jeff's first child and her sixth! Yes, her sixth; Jeff is the third father to her brood. She's on food stamps and welfare....big surprise and to top it all off, she lives in a trailer park. Sorry....but are you getting the picture here?

Her only saving grace is that Jeff, whose basically a nice kid, is still a borderline loser...high school drop out who has had more jobs in his 24 years of living than Phil and I have had combined. It's a saving grace because at least she's not involved with him for his money or social status....both of which he has none.

So today I went to the T-store and I have to say, I didn't feel a ton of remorse about buying pre-owned baby boy clothes. If I was going to a shower at work, I would love to do this but I never would for fear of being ostracised for being a cheap SOB. But given this woman's situation, I have no problem with this. I got 17 pieces, tops, bottoms, onezies, etc for $4.54. Come on! Once I get everything washed, Phil and I will, under good strong lighting, check for stains and tears. If it's not perfect, I won't send it but from what I can see...it should be. If it's not, it'll go into the rag pile.

Is it wrong for me to treat this woman differently than a co-worker? Probably. But apparently not enough to stop. And that's how it is for today.