DEAR ABBY: My husband and I have a beautiful 1-year-old daughter and are very happy with our life. My problem? For many personal reasons, we have decided that our daughter is the only child we wish to have. When friends and co-workers ask me when we are having another child and I tell them we probably won't, the responses are incredibly rude -- from "You HAVE to have another child," to "It's mean, cruel, unfair, etc. to have only one child."
I am almost offended because this is an important life choice we have made, and these people are telling us we are wrong. I wouldn't think of telling them they have too many kids or they married a loser, etc., which are also life choices.
What I need is a polite, short response to this question so these people know that my personal life choices aren't up for judgment. How can I do this without being rude? -- INCENSED IN WYOMING
DEAR INCENSED: Try to keep uppermost in your mind that these well-meaning but insensitive individuals are just making conversation. The fact that asking when someone is going to enlarge his or her family is a potential minefield is lost to them.
The next time someone asks you when you're having another child, politely reply, "Our factory is closed." And if the person ventures an opinion about it, say, "Let's change the subject," or "Thank you for the input -- but we're happy with the decision we made."