Asking Eric: New mother chafes at being mistaken for grandmother

By R Eric Thomas | [email protected] | Tribune Content AgencyPUBLISHED: November 12, 2026 at 1:46 AM MST Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...Dear Eric: I am the mother of a beautiful four-year-old girl. On seven separate occasions strangers have asked me if I am her grandmother. I struggled with fertility issues for many years, and finally resorted to IVF, which took another few years to be successful. So, my husband and I had our first (and only) child a bit later than average. However, we live in an area where, culturally, people are having babies later, so we didn’t think much of it. The people around our age, or younger, have no issue with our age, and have never said anything. But it’s people in my mother’s generation that become prying and inquire if I’m my daughter’s grandma. I always feel shocked, embarrassed and a little sad when this question/comment broadsides me.

This excerpt comes from the named source. Read the original for the full reporting.