"Do you have any kids?"

Really sir? Since when did that become a pick-up line? I swear it's almost commonplace nowadays for guys to ask me that question. And not just any guys of course. Yep, you guessed it, it's the black guys who always ask that. Apparently every young black female HAS to have a child or multiple children and "baby daddys" out there. It's the new trend in the hood. My friends and I didn't get that memo.

The most annoying thing isn't even the question itself, it's that guys seem genuinely surprised when my friends and I tell them we don't have any children. My black girlfriends of course because I've never heard my white friends be asked that question. It probably happens, but I haven't seen it. Anyway back on topic...why is it a surprise that I don't have children? I just don't get it. And furthermore, why do you feel it's necessary for you to ask me that question within 10 minutes of meeting me? What is going on in the world where it's common and normal for a young unmarried girl to have kids? At this point it's even expected and it shouldn't be.

I think part of the problem is that so many of these young girls are out there trying to get pregnant on purpose to keep some no good man that only wanted them for sex in the first place. You see it all the time with all this 'Pregnancy Pact' nonsense and shows like 16 and Pregnant. Sweetie, have some self respect and while you're at it, some self control. I can't even tell you how many young girls that I grew up with that are my age and younger are turning up pregnant these days. I swear it must be something in the water. Depending on the circumstances getting pregnant at my age (23) isn't a bad thing, it's the young teenage girls that I worry about. But anyway I'm getting off topic again.

Back to the whole "do you have any kids" thing. I really can't stand when a guy asks me that because I think it's stupid to just assume someone has a child for no apparent reason. Do they feel the need to ask that just because I'm a twenty something black girl? I truly do not understand the logic behind this. I don't look around the bar and think "hmm, I bet he/she has a kid at home." I mean really, who does that? Maybe it just boils down to the fact that some people don't actually think before they speak. Who knows? I guess I'm done with my little rant for now. But just for the record, I'm very proud to be a 23 year old, single, African American female who does not have any children and has never been pregnant.

PS: Wear a condom kids!