(whispers to her friend) “Look at her. She’s always so smiley. What’s up with that?”

(friend whispers back) “I know, for real, why is she always talking to us? We don’t even know her.”

BECAUSE I NEED ADULT CONVERSATION, ALRIGHT?!?!?!?! And, I will take it wherever I can get it.

Yes, I am that desperate.

Okay, I don’t think I am desperate, but some of you, well, I am sure that you probably do.

I recently shared that I fake it.

(Gasp)

Yes, I fake energy I don’t have and I fake confidence when I’m feeling down. But, my attempts for adult interaction and joyful banter, those are not fake.

You see, I have been a SAHM for the past four years and if you don’t know a lot about SAHM’s, let me fill you in on a little something -- we crave conversations outside of those with our children.

Of course, we love our little angelic devils oh so very much, but there are only so many nonsensical questions we can respond to before we feel like our head is going to explode.

So, how do we keep from combusting? By making small talk with anyone at all who crosses our path and is over the age of 18.

Recently, I was a member of a group where the question was posed “What do you make of small talk?”

Most of those who responded to the prompt had answers like “it’s awkward,” “I hate it,” and “it serves no purpose.”

What was my response?

Well, I stated something along the lines of the fact that small talk is less prevalent these days, a lost art with the advancement of technology, and I think that’s a shame.

I went on to say that you never know the difference your small talk can make for another. Granted, when I make small tal, my motivation is purely selfish; it’s to make me feel better. But, often, the result is that I make the others I am interacting with feel better, too.

What a win-win, right?

Maybe I’m the odd woman out, or perhaps it is a SAHM or WAHM thing, but I need and want to connect with other adults in this world and with three children age 7 and under my opportunities are limited, so I am going to unapologetically monopolize any chance that I get.

So, the next time you feel like whispering about me behind my back, how about you talk at a reasonable volume and to my face instead?

Can you please do that?

It would mean the world to me, and you would help me reach my adult conversation quota for the day.