Had one of those awkward moments today that just serve to tell me it's not the rest of the world that's a little off, it's me.

I was at a doctor's office, in the waiting area, when another family group came in with little boy just two months older than Punky. The woman with him greeted us, then sized us up and immediately launched into that puesdo-friendly competitive thing women do, over the kids - does Punky run yet? Have a bink? Sleep well, speak well, finished her college application essay yet? Tweny questions, rapid fire. Meanwhile, she's pulling out all this food from the diaper bag.

The boy ran for the sound of the candy wrapper, Punky didn't react. She offered up gummy dinsoaurs to both kids, but I told her Punky wouldn't recognize it as food. She thrust them out anyway and Punky backed up, shaking her head, looking at these bright colored things like they were rattlesnakes. I couldn't discourse on the difference in various chicken nuggets with her, Punky has only had them twice in her life. The boy can open 20 oz. bottles of soda, we don't buy them. He drinks better from a soda can than a cup or straw, Punky has never had soda in a can. I had no electronic toys on me. I pulled out an animal picture book for the kids instead. Somewhere about the time I said I didn't smoke, the woman went from seemingly uneasy to giving me a wall-eyed look. She packed up the kid and moved away from me.

She was across the room, settling in again, talking to an older couple and all I could think was "Am I really that strange?"

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