making assumptions about family relationsships

[Dazi]

The other day someone thought my mother was my girlfriend.    I thought it was hysterical.

[P-p-p-penguin]

An estate agent clearly thought my aunt was my girlfriend.  Even though both of us look younger than we are, I don't think it's obvious that there's a 17 year age gap.

Aunt's reaction was to hastily blurt out, "She's my neice!"  In retrospect I should have put on a hurt face and fake-scolded her for being ashamed of our 'relationship', but I was too busy inwardly laughing at how quick she was to correct the agent!

[Brentwood]

For those of you who have had your brother mistaken for boyfriend, i give you this. Apparently more than a few people have assumed that my sister and I are a couple. We both think it is pretty funny.

My brother and I went to a Scorpions concert in the spring of 1991; that would have made me 24 and him 19. Two guys were sitting to my brother's left, and I was on his right. At some point during the show, one of the guys to my brother's left made a comment about my brother's "girlfriend."

He said, "Girlfriend?!" (cue laughter.) "She's my SISTER!"

At that point, the guy asked to switch places with my brother. 

[Brentwood]

My dad & I worked for the same company when I was ages 19-24.  Our office was very close to home so we always went home for lunch, and of course we rode together.  So while we didn't actually work in the same office, or even on the same floor, we always arrived and left together.

One day, some woman that I had seen around, but didn't actually know, stopped and scolded me for dating a man so much older than me!  I wish I'd known enough then to brush her off with "what an interesting assumption." But, this was before ehell, so I just told her that he was my dad, not my boyfriend!  She was quite embarraased, as well she should have been!

I've probably already mentioned this in this thread somewhere (I'm old, I forget things), but similar things happened to me when I worked at the same company as my father (I worked there from ages 18-25, so VERY similar to your story!).

[RedDwarf]

People have assumed my boyfriend is my brother, because we both have brown eyes and brown hair (so does my brother by the way). Doesn't really help that my boyfriend is really shy and refuses to hold my hand in public.

[Piratelvr1121]

I remember a time when my mother came to my workplace to pick up the boys carseats since she was going to be picking them up and I'd forgotten to leave them at the day care (busy and hectic a.m. that day).

When she left, a coworker looked at me and asked me who that was.  I told her "Oh, that's my mom".   According to much of the front office staff, I look nothing like her, aside from being petite, as my mother is 5' and I'm 5'2".   

[SheltieMom]

I'm in my mid-fifties, and I get all kinds of strange reactions when I'm out with one of my foster babies. (I do transition foster care with newborns.) I have had everything from, "Is this your first?" to the more understandable, "Is that your grandbaby?"
The most fun is when my daughter (18) is with me. Almost everyone assumes the baby is hers. To make it better, her boyfriend's family also does foster care, so we sometimes have several little ones. DD and BF enjoy walking around the mall with strollers full of babies. This spring, I had twin boys, and BF's mom had a little girl just 10 days younger. People thought DD and BF had triplets!
I do love the fact that DD and BF are so comfortable and knowledgeable about kids, just in case the relationship does last.

[Nora]

I'm in my mid-fifties, and I get all kinds of strange reactions when I'm out with one of my foster babies. (I do transition foster care with newborns.) I have had everything from, "Is this your first?" to the more understandable, "Is that your grandbaby?"
The most fun is when my daughter (18) is with me. Almost everyone assumes the baby is hers. To make it better, her boyfriend's family also does foster care, so we sometimes have several little ones. DD and BF enjoy walking around the mall with strollers full of babies. This spring, I had twin boys, and BF's mom had a little girl just 10 days younger. People thought DD and BF had triplets!
I do love the fact that DD and BF are so comfortable and knowledgeable about kids, just in case the relationship does last.

Thank you all for being completely awesome!

[cabbagegirl28]

I'm in my mid-fifties, and I get all kinds of strange reactions when I'm out with one of my foster babies. (I do transition foster care with newborns.) I have had everything from, "Is this your first?" to the more understandable, "Is that your grandbaby?"
The most fun is when my daughter (18) is with me. Almost everyone assumes the baby is hers. To make it better, her boyfriend's family also does foster care, so we sometimes have several little ones. DD and BF enjoy walking around the mall with strollers full of babies. This spring, I had twin boys, and BF's mom had a little girl just 10 days younger. People thought DD and BF had triplets!
I do love the fact that DD and BF are so comfortable and knowledgeable about kids, just in case the relationship does last.

Thank you all for being completely awesome!

Yeah, that's really great!

[RooRoo]

I once offended someone because I was trying to tread carefully. I had just been introduced to a new member (NM) of my dog club, a petite redhead with the usual pale skin. Next to her was a large-framed, bi-racial girl, also very attractive. I asked, "Are you two family?" and she huffed angrily, "She's my daughter!" 

Rats. I lost a potential friend. I should have just kept my mouth shut.    Not to mention that NM probably thinks I’m a racist of sorts.

In the years since, I have acquired 3 bi-racial grand-nephews, and have a g-niece on the way. NM would probably think it's "karma." Well, if it is, it's for my good deeds! 

[Samantha]

One of my friends got married in May. I was MOH in her wedding. Several guests (on the grooms side) came up to me and said they had no idea Bride had a sister, and how wonderful it was that I could attend the wedding. Bride and I have been friends since we were on the same little league team (so elementary school).

When Bride and I were around 19/20 years old, we went out to dinner with her boyfriend. He was 17 or 18 years older than us. We were sitting there, enjoying our meals, when a woman approached us, put one hand on my shoulder, the other on Bride's shoulder, and said it did her heart good to see two young ladies out having dinner with their Daddy, that so few kids are willing to be seen with their parents, and so on. When her boyfriend corrected the woman, and said that he was dating Bride, she got this look of absolute horror on her face. I guess she thought we were minors, and was horrified at the thought of a literal kid being involved romantically with someone so much older.

[gramma dishes]

I once offended someone because I was trying to tread carefully. I had just been introduced to a new member (NM) of my dog club, a petite redhead with the usual pale skin. Next to her was a large-framed, bi-racial girl, also very attractive. I asked, "Are you two family?" and she huffed angrily, "She's my daughter!" 

Rats. I lost a potential friend. I should have just kept my mouth shut.    Not to mention that NM probably thinks I’m a racist of sorts.

In the years since, I have acquired 3 bi-racial grand-nephews, and have a g-niece on the way. NM would probably think it's "karma." Well, if it is, it's for my good deeds! 

I don't understand why she would be offended by your question.  It wasn't offensive at all and you might have asked  the same question even if they looked a lot alike. 

[SheltieMom]

I'm in my mid-fifties, and I get all kinds of strange reactions when I'm out with one of my foster babies. (I do transition foster care with newborns.) I have had everything from, "Is this your first?" to the more understandable, "Is that your grandbaby?"
The most fun is when my daughter (18) is with me. Almost everyone assumes the baby is hers. To make it better, her boyfriend's family also does foster care, so we sometimes have several little ones. DD and BF enjoy walking around the mall with strollers full of babies. This spring, I had twin boys, and BF's mom had a little girl just 10 days younger. People thought DD and BF had triplets!
I do love the fact that DD and BF are so comfortable and knowledgeable about kids, just in case the relationship does last.

Thank you all for being completely awesome!

Yeah, that's really great!

Honestly, other than raising my own kids, this is the most rewarding thing I've ever done. I love feeling like I'm making a difference in the lives of these babies, and their new families. Walking into a room and placing a baby in the arms of a new mom or dad is an incredible feeling.

[SheltieMom]

The sibling age gap to beat them all...

My SIL has a brother 27 years younger than her, a few years younger than her own son!  I can only imagine the assumptions people will make in years to come.

We've got a similar situation in my family. My mother's oldest sister was married and had a 3 year old child when her youngest sister was born. There's a 34 year spread between my oldest cousin and my youngest.

[Darcy]

I once offended someone because I was trying to tread carefully. I had just been introduced to a new member (NM) of my dog club, a petite redhead with the usual pale skin. Next to her was a large-framed, bi-racial girl, also very attractive. I asked, "Are you two family?" and she huffed angrily, "She's my daughter!" 

Rats. I lost a potential friend. I should have just kept my mouth shut.    Not to mention that NM probably thinks I’m a racist of sorts.

In the years since, I have acquired 3 bi-racial grand-nephews, and have a g-niece on the way. NM would probably think it's "karma." Well, if it is, it's for my good deeds! 

  I don't know why she got huffy.  You asked what was probably the safest question to ask about whether someone was related or not.  You didn't make a wrong assumption within your question.