Day 331 - You couldn't make it up

I had a very interesting chat with another mum during ballet. She was asking how I was doing with my husband still away - I said things were ok but I was feeling it more this term, and she said that was completely understandable seeing as I was pregnant....

WHAT? 

I had a frozen moment as I tried desperately to get over the surprise, and think of what to say.
And that pause, right there, was the ONLY pregnant thing going on.
Apart from me being ancient, my husband hasn't exactly been around much.

I also knew there was little chance of the mum or me getting through this conversation without a pink glow of embarrassment.  Did she think I looked pregnant? Admittedly I've probably put on weight. Or was there some kind of mad rumour going around?

"Noooooooo, I'm definitely not pregnant! Just eating too much..!"

"OH no! It's not that, it's just your daughter told mine you were having a baby..."

And there you have it. My darling 5 year old had made up this whopper about me being pregnant. She'd even told her friend I was having a girl. A case of make-believe in the playground getting way out of hand...

And then I was wondering who else had heard? You know what the school gate's like - a breeding ground for gossip. It's like the worst kind of chinese whispers down there.  Last term my 7 year old came back from school with a 'sorry you're leaving' card from his best friend. He wasn't going anywhere.

Of course my daughter hadn't really got a clue what she'd done. Quite hard to handle, because it didn't seem right to get very cross with her.
She was upset when we had a talk, and kept saying it was just a pretend game. I know she can get carried away with her stories, and had obviously been a bit too convincing. I'm all for having an active imagination, as long as it doesn't run completely wild.

Once we'd all got over the shock, I did feel relieved the mum had mentioned it and we'd cleared it up quickly. Imagine if she hadn't said anything, and gone on believing...

I'm sure this will make my daughter think twice before she starts spinning another tale. And if I cast my mind back, I know I wasn't adverse to making up the odd story or two - though can't remember any backfiring in such spectacular fashion!