Hey why aren’t you…? Wait, that’s a bit personal, don’t you think?

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Many of you must have been bombarded with questions like "Are you still single? Why aren't you married yet?" Some with questions like "You have been married for quite some time right? Why aren't you pregnant yet?" And also questions like "Still not got a job for yourself? Why aren't you employed yet?". Once you grow up to be an adult, gear up and be ready to face such questions in your life.

There are many out there in the world who want to pry in your personal space. Some who have nothing to do with you, but somehow believe they know what's best for you. The big question is whether you are obligated to answer their queries about your personal life. Whether the question comes from relatives or strangers, the answer is a big 'No'. Moreover it is rude and uncomfortable which people especially from the Generation X or the older generation don't quite understand.

Why People Overstep Boundaries - Though people make you uncomfortable with such personal questions, the fact is that not all of them have a negative intention in their mind. There are people who overstep their boundaries and ask such questions out of genuine concern and to know if they could be of help in any sort of way. They take the freedom to ask you these questions for a healthy reason. These people won't mind if you tell them that you are not comfortable answering their questions.

On the other hand, there are others who ask such uncomfortable questions without any idea that it is pretty inappropriate, most of them ask because they are nosy, many others want to project superiority and in some cases there are people who over-empathize with your present situation which results in such personal questions. These people tend to keep a grudge in their mind, if you refuse to answer their questions. And many never give up, they will keep asking till you give them an answer.

How To Block Prying Questions - A funny reel on social media comes to my mind when this question pops up. An Instagrammer said that if someone were to ask her if she was still single, she would tell them she got married to a man from a village in Tamil Nadu and they have a child named Muthu. The person would be stunned hearing this and then the Instagrammer would break the truth to them saying, "I just lied man, if I ever get married I'll let you know, ok" and that person would be relieved.

Jokes apart, when people ask personal questions we do need to know how to dodge their questions without hurting their sentiments. Let's see how -

• You can change the subject, look around and see if there is anything that you can do to divert their attention
• Talk about something else instead that would be of their interest
• Just simply say, "I would rather not talk about it"
• Unleash your sense of humour and crack a joke instead
• Excuse yourself from the scenario in a polite manner
• You can also say "That's pretty personal, don't you think?"
• Or use the best weapon - Silence, they will probably get the point

I know about a single friend of mine (can't name due to confidential reasons) who has chosen to be single, and she is surrounded with people who are very inquisitive to know why she has chosen to be so, As people have set a perfect age limit for marriage, they won't stop asking her the reasons for staying single past the so-called marriageable age.

Once a person even intruded to ask if she was single due to a heartbreak, some even asked her that if she continued to stay like that who would be there to take care of her in the prime of her age. Without a husband, without a family, she was deemed of no value. It was kind of surprising that not just people from the old generation but even girls who were pretty younger than her posed such questions to her.

Ending with an appropriate quote by Pakistani-British writer and novelist Kamila Shamsie, "Can I ask you a personal question? Of all the rhetorical questions in the world, that is the one which irritates me most with its simultaneous gesture towards and denial of the trespass that is about to follow."

(Images are AI generated)