Rita Reviews

living my best possible southern life

Not Related Like That

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One thing about growing up in the south is that over the years people have asked me if I am inbred. Why you may ask? Well, because people have heard that is how it is in the south. I can honestly say I only know of one instance where there was weird family love going on and I swear my brother-in-law’s family is. I tell him that all the time but he laughs it off.

If they were, it would explain so much! Trust me on this. Now the one instance I know of I didn’t know about until I made a mistake. I saw this man and woman in the grocery store every week years ago. There were elderly and appeared to be a sweet couple, mostly. One week I saw him alone in the store and asked about his wife. He looked at me and rather nastily told me that was not his wife.

They acted like a married couple. In fact, I knew they lived in the same house and I swear y’all I thought they were in fact married. So I went on about my business but when I brought it up to a friend, she said the woman was his sister. So I explained why I thought so and she told me they had a child together. I did once meet their son but I know none of the details and never wanted to know.

Usually when someone asks me, my response is always “No! This ain’t Gone With The Wind!” My dad was a Northern while Ma is a southerner so there are no familial connections unless you count that my cousin’s mother is my daddy’s sister and her father is my mother’s brother. I have no words for that and it’s the big, deep, dark family secret that my poor grandmother spent years trying to keep buried but everyone knew, anyway.  

She worried about what the neighbor’s or even her friends would say. Social standing was very important to my grandmother. It’s one of the reason’s all of us girls had to take lessons on manners and being ladies. None, of us use those lessons regularly. It appalled my grandmother until her dying day but I will say when the moment calls we can be ladies that will make Scarlett O’Hara seem like one of the help. 

My girls don’t take those lessons. I teach them good manners and they use them which I am proud of. I think spending hours walking around with a book on your head is a waste of time. I thought it when I had to do it and I think it now.  Maybe that makes me a little backwoods and inbred in my grandmother’s book but I am okay with that. It’s funny thinking about all of that while writing this post. I made a note to share more about my manners and lady lesson later with y’all. 

Have you Been asked weird misconceptions? Share them with me in the comments.

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Comments

  2. This post cracks me u, in a good way! I grew up in south carolina and still live in the south to the day, ALBEIT Atlanta, GA. now. there are so many stories of “family love” that it is sometimes a running joke at famliy reunions.

    • We laugh and joke about it as well. I have some cousins that are from west VIRGINIA and i always make some joke about not being from there. anytime they say something back i tell them i saw that movie!

  4. My Dad was from the South and my Mom was from the North they met and MARRIED being stationed at te same base during the Korean War. We visited our family in the south and I heard stories but had no idea people thought that way.

  5. I have never been ask about this, but I do know others of this sort, I know growing up I can remember my parents saying that these folks over here seem a bit weird, sister and brother and acting like they do LOLL , just weird is all……….. sorry about the caps, my keyboard for some reason won’t work right..
    @tisonlyme143

  6. Being from Southern California is a whole different kind of southern. One misconception I used to have to deal with all the time when we went on vacations to other states when I was a child was people asking how many movie stars I knew. Oy.

  7. I live in the DEEP South & we do talk slow but years ago I had to go to Boston with my work & was surprised to discover that some people thought we think slow! I loved New England & for most part meet very nice people but some of the management in the company I worked for were down right jerks.

  9. Another strange prejudice raises its head. I never even thought about that. (let alone ask someone that)

  10. I’m a southerner and I’ve never had anyone ask but there’s no doubt that some in the north tend to think of southerners as “”backwoods. Best we can do is prove them wrong. 🙂

  11. I’m from wisconsin and get asked what it’s like to milk a cow. Um, have no idea…i didn’t live on a farm. lol

  12. I’m from Texas, and people think we all ride around on horses. Uhhh nope! And there aren’t tumbleweeds blowing all over the place either!