So where are you from?

I have a lot of pet peeves. Sometimes I think I should read a few more self-help books to work through them, but at the very top of the list is that phrase "where are you from?"

I know to most it's just an innocuous phrase used in 'get-to-know-you' conversation but it's just such a loaded question when you ask that to my kids and it really brings out the protective (or overly guilt wrought?) mama bear in me.

My oldest 2 have lived in 5 homes - not including our 3 month stint in the camper or the 1 month stint in Florida.  We've seen the entire country, more than I had ever seen growing up, our lives have been rich with diverse friends and acquaintances yet every time someone asks that question, I cringe.

Living in a military town it's still not as uncommon a question - largely because it's a very very young military town and this is the first place they've lived outside of their mama's house. And they like it here because they have never lived elsewhere.  But even then, it's often asked as a way to figure out accents or personalities or 'WHY on earth you'd request THAT duty station?'

It gets weirder now that officially this week neither my parents or inlaws live in the state DH was born and raised in and I spent most of my childhood in.  While I have nostalgic memories, there is less there that has me needing to go back (sorry, Greg, we will still try to visit sometimes) unless we actually can convince you to leave, too.  I promise you winter it totally overrated.

So in my effort to completely immerse my kids in everything possible so we'd have things we miss here I have them in sign language classes. And this past week one of the vocabulary phrases we covered was "where are you from?" to which the kids look at me with confusion (or guilt inducing glare) and I say, well, you've lived in California the longest time, so go with that. Or make something up. Apparently "military brat" was not a covered ASL sign, but when all else fails you can finger spell it, it just takes far longer than a simple state abbreviation.

Even if we walked away from the military and went into a real life, I think the damage is done. We are citizens of the United States and have little bits of many places and locations tattooed onto our souls. I'm ok with that, just don't expect a simple answer to your simple question "where are you from?"  better to stick with "hey, how are you?" because you're more likely to get a one word answer "good/fine" or, in the words of the Marines at the gate checking ID's:

Living the dream

try not to be jealous.