What you say. What I hear.

You say: Are you sure you don't want a secure job with benefits?
I hear: I want the security of a job with benefits, and I wouldn't take that risk.

You say: When are you having children?
I hear: Goodbye freedom.

You say: When are you getting married?
I hear: Goodbye autonomy. 

You say: Once you have kids you'll change your mind and be pro-life (aka anti-choice).
I hear: As a woman talking to another woman, your choices do not matter once you have children.

You say: Maybe you shouldn't wear something so low cut/tight/short.
I hear: Your body doesn't belong to you.

When they asked questions about my choices, this triggered my most primal fear of not belonging."
~Amber Rae, Choose Wonder Over Worry

Photo by W A T A R I on Unsplash

There is something very magical about this time in my life.  I am so comfortable in who I am, that outside questions hold no weight, and I now recognize when people project their fears onto me.  I simply hold a mirror to their projections and continue on with life.