Appearance, the key to snap judgements

I’ve been a stay-at-home mom for twenty-plus years. People tend to have certain preconceived ideas about what stay-at-home moms do every day and just how smart they could possibly be if they don’t do something that approximates the nine-to-five thing. Throw in shorts, a tank top, and flip flops, and I can almost watch their estimation of my I.Q. drop when I show up for my son’s doctor’s appointments. I can’t stand when someone talks down to me, and invariably, if I’m dressed for comfort in the hundred-plus temperatures of Georgia’s summers, someone will. As frustrating as that is for me, I will still sometimes refuse to put on more “appropriate” clothing to take my son to the doctor. Seriously, it’s a doctor’s appointment, not a job interview. Unless I’m in something really messy, it should be a come-as-you-are kind of event. Just because I’m coming from home and not work doesn’t mean I should be treated less competently.