People keep gossiping busily about how I managed to time my pregnancy to coincide with my sabbatical. I’m kind of flattered by the unceasing gossiping because it’s great that people suspect me of such fantastic health and booming fertility at the age of 39. Of course, as long as I fulfilled my sabbatical obligations (and I fulfilled enough to cover four sabbaticals), it’s none of anybody’s business how I time my pregnancies.
It’s funny, though, that people find it easier to believe that I knew a year in advance (when sabbaticals are officially requested) when I would get pregnant with great precision than to accept that this was a coincidence. It got to the point where a colleague repeated wistfully, “I wish I knew how to time my pregnancy so well. Oh, I wish I did!” in an insistent way that made me think she wanted a step-by-step instruction manual on the process.
Clarissa's Blog 
If you wanted to, you could really have fun with that and troll your colleagues. :p
Intone something vague, wave your hands around like an orchestra conductor and then half smile.
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So: they did not get to have their kids at a time that was good for them, and they suspect others of having planned and of having had said plans go well, and think this unfair?
I don’t think I am postmodern enough. I was raised to think we were fortunate to be able to think of planning families nowadays. I was even raised to think it was our obligation to do so, so that our family-having caused as little inconvenience to others as possible. From that p.o.v. they should not be envious, as they appear to be, of suspected perfect and successful planning, but grateful. Or no?
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Sooo……. hmmm, just between us….. how did you manage to time it all together so well?
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