Who are you calling Mrs.?????

Not long ago, I found myself doing a little shopping in Rochester Hills with my two boys. It came to be time to feed the kids. I had packed some food, but was at a loss as to where to eat it. Finally, I decided to take the boys to Oakland University, where Hubby and I attended college. There was a nice student center there with an eating area that I thought would be a good place to sit for a while.

We parked and went inside. I was blown away--not only by how much the center had been upgraded since I graduated in 2000, but also by how, well, OLD I felt.
All this time, I still thought of myself as college-age. Silly, I know. I am 33 years old. I have been out of college for 10 years. It's ridiculous, but somehow, I still didn't GET that I wasn't a student anymore.

This year, the crease in my forehead has become more prominent and permanent, and I am seeing more and more white hairs--they spring straight up off my head and glimmer in the light instead of lying nicely with the brown hairs. I am the mom of two kids. I am hopelessly out of touch with what is "in" in terms of fashion and music and technology.

But none of that has bothered me TOO much. None of that, aside from the college visit, really made me feel old.

But something else did.

It's happened several times in recent months.

People have called me... wait for it... Mrs. Johns.

What's the big deal, right? I've technically been Mrs. Johns for 8 1/2 years. It's not like it's a negative thing.
But (and feel free to insert a whiny voice here as you read this) it's weeeeeird!

The first time it happened was at preschool. I was talking to one of the students and she was being kind of shy, so her mom prompted her. "Can you say thank you to Mrs. Johns?"
I am not kidding, it threw me for a loop. I almost looked behind me. Who the heck is Mrs. Johns?

Oh, yeah. It's me.

Then at Jordan's first birthday party, one of my friends from college--actually my former roommate, who now has two children of her own--was talking to her daughter and referred to me as Mrs. Johns.

Again, it made me stop in my tracks.

To most of the kids I know, I'm just Krystal. "Auntie" Krystal to my nieces and nephews and my best friend's kids (yes, we do the weird "auntie" thing, even though I'm not technically their aunt) but NO ONE ever calls me Mrs. Johns.

I don't think I like it.

Not one bit.

I know it's supposed to be some sort of a respect thing, and maybe it's because I never called anyone Mr. or Mrs. except for teachers when I was growing up. It feels really awkward rolling off my tongue. I can't imagine calling my friend Mrs. Smith. She'd laugh in my face.
I guess I still have trouble seeing myself as a grown-up. I'm still just a kid, right? I still kind of feel like a kid. I am not exactly sure why that is, but it's true.

So, if you happen to see me and call me Mrs. Johns, I apologize if I don't respond. I'm probably just looking around trying to spot the grown-up who has the same last name as me.

And don't you DARE even THINK about calling me "Ma'am."