‘I charge my family money when they ask about pregnancy – my mum says it’s childish’

A woman has revealed that’s she been charging people money ‘for years’ whenever they bring up questions about pregnancy – and she then admittedly spends the money on snacks

The topic of pregnancy can unknowingly be a very sensitive subject to people.

Behind closed doors, couples could be facing infertility issues or simply aren’t ready to start a family together.

So, when the inevitable question comes up of ‘When are you going to have a baby? – it can become a little frustrating.

However, one woman from the US has taken people asking about a future child to extreme measures by charging people $1 (79p) when asked the infamous question.

The anonymous woman, who has been married for six years, took to social media site Reddit to share her experience and question whether she’s taken things a little too far.

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Her post explained: “We want [kids] but it still not happening”.

“Friends and family are causing us constant stress about having a baby soon but it’s obviously something we can’t control,” she added. “We only wished that they’d stop but to no avail.”

So she had come up with an idea that to have an “empty jar and call it the ” Pregnancy Jar”.

“I carry it with me in my bag whenever I’m with friends and family and every time someone asks about when my husband and I are gonna have a baby, I pull my jar out and ask them to drop a dollar in there for asking,” she said.

“I’d get puzzled looks but they reach out for their pockets/wallets/purses and pull out a dollar for the jar.

“It actually worked because most of them stopped asking after for months.”

However, whilst the plan initially seemed like a good idea, the woman explained that it didn’t go down so well with the family, and even resulted in her brother’s public humiliation.

When her brother recently bought up the sore question about pregnancy, the woman brought out her infamous jar.

“I got up from the chair and made my way to where my brother was sitting with my jar in my hand and asked him to drop a dollar for the question he asked, he stared at me then laughed nervously asking if I was being serious,” she explained.

“Everyone was looking at us. He said no, he didn’t have to pay me but I told him he didn’t have to ask either so here we are!

“I could tell he felt embarrassed he immediately reached out to his pocket, pulled out his wallet and put a dollar in my jar”

The woman explained that the conversation quickly turned awkward as the brother was clearly “embarrassed”.

“Mum pulled me into the kitchen later to tell me that I embarrassed my brother in front of his wife and family and said I should quit acting childish by running around with a jar demanding others to put money in it, I told her they should quit asking then,” she said.

“She went on about how they’re just worried for us since we are in mid-30s and don’t have much time left if we want at least one healthy baby – I got upset and she started arguing.”

She added: “My husband and I left and we haven’t seen them in days, except I got a call from my sister basically siding with mom and the others saying I’m being childish.”

Taking to Reddit, the woman cleared things up about the ordeal in hopes to gain outside opinion from online users.

She confessed that whilst the idea has “been going on for years” it’s “gotten worse” in the past year.

Whilst her husband “doesn’t care much” and says that she should just let the idea go, the woman expressed her upset for having already explained to family and friends how she “feel[s] regarding this question”.

She continued: “They pay every time because it’s just a dollar, it won’t make me any richer or them any poorer.

“My husband and I spend the money on snacks to eat every night when watching tv or some toys for the dogs.”

Reddit users fled to the comment section to share their thoughts about the controversial ordeal – and the activity was surprising.

“Reciprocity is a beautiful thing really,” one user said.

Whilst another agreed: “Not asking is free.”

A third wrote: “Seriously! This is a funny, creative, and light-hearted way to address this!

“Also in 2022 we should all know better- conceiving (if one even wants a baby in the first place) can be an uphill battle.

“I can’t imagine someone having say, multiple miscarriages and having to contend with questions about when she’s having a baby,” they added.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below.