I Love You, Just Joking: Confessions of Accidental Affection on the Phone

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It’s midday, and my phone starts buzzing. The caller ID reveals it’s my daughter’s school, and I can’t help but feel a wave of dread wash over me. Teachers don’t typically call during the day to share good news; they usually bring tidings of trouble—like a classmate’s foot in my kid’s lunch or that my little one is feeling under the weather, despite being perfectly fine just a short while ago. I steel myself and pick up the call.

“Everything’s okay,” her teacher reassures me. “But she’s been complaining about a tummy ache and says she needs to come home.”

I do my best to hide my disappointment. Today was supposed to be my time to get things done uninterrupted. The teacher must sense my letdown and says, “I completely understand.”

It’s not that I’m upset about my daughter feeling sick; it’s just that I know in a bit, she’ll probably bounce back and be her usual energetic self. But there’s nothing we can do, so I reply, “No problem. I’ll come get her.”

“Take care,” she says.

“See you soon,” I respond. And as I hang up, I accidentally blurt out, “Love you.”

Silence fills the line. My heart races. I can already envision the laughter I’ll face in the teacher’s lounge later. I imagine my daughter’s graduation where I’m still remembered as “the parent who mistakenly declared love to a teacher.”

I open my mouth to clarify, to explain that I didn’t mean it, that I was just distracted and used to expressing affection to my family. But the words don’t come out.

This isn’t the first time I’ve unintentionally revealed my affection. Over the years, I’ve accidentally told several parents at my daughter’s preschool that I love them—one of them a man. There’s even a delivery driver who now thinks I’m smitten with him after an overly enthusiastic hug when he dropped off packages. That was definitely awkward, especially since he wasn’t even on his regular route. No history exists to justify my outburst; it felt more like I was coming off as a desperate housewife rather than just someone whose heart is open to love.

I’ve mistakenly told the dry cleaner who delivers our clothes that I love him too. I’ve even switched hair salons multiple times to dodge the embarrassment of running into the stylist I inadvertently professed my feelings to. Each of these moments leaves me feeling like a flustered criminal, as if there’s no greater shame than being the object of my misplaced affection.

Expressing love has always been a challenge for me. I’ve only shared those words with a select few—my husband and kids being the most significant. Before meeting my husband, I told just one boyfriend I loved him, to which he replied with a nonchalant “Cool,” before returning to his reflection. That embarrassment led me to avoid discussing love for a long time.

Then I met my husband, and he became the first person to reciprocate my affection. It turns out I had been yearning for someone to return my “I love you’s.” After a rocky start, our love language has flourished, and I’ve finally found something I excel at: giving love.

For much of my life, I’ve felt like a perpetual underachiever, but expressing love comes naturally to me. I might not know if I’m the best mom or wife, but I love my family fiercely, and I remind them of it often. So often, in fact, that I sometimes forget who I’m talking to, leading to awkward moments with strangers.

Even though I have to navigate the fallout of my affectionate slip-ups, I choose to walk confidently. After all, it’s not the worst thing to love a little too much. Just ask my delivery driver!

If you found this story relatable, be sure to check out our other blog post on home insemination. You might also want to explore resources like Make a Mom for tips on boosting fertility. For more information on pregnancy and home insemination, you can visit Science Daily.

In summary, it’s easy to get caught up in the emotion of the moment, sometimes leading to unexpected confessions. While I might stumble over my words and express affection to the wrong people, love is what truly counts in this chaotic journey of parenthood.