Now That's Embarrassing

I'm sure you've all had the experience of putting your foot in your mouth during the course of your life. Maybe you've asked a woman when her baby is due only to find out she is not expecting. Sometimes when my wife was obviously pregnant and people asked her when her due date was she would mess with them and say she wasn't just so she could watch them squirm. Then there is the extremely uncomfortable gender confusion dialogue. It's not as common, but sometimes "Excuse me sir " can lead to "Oh I'm sorry ma'am."

When I was in High School I went on a vacation with my friend's family. Each of his siblings had invited a friend to come with them. One night at dinner the topic turned to school and I started bashing a teacher I had years earlier. As I was talking I noticed that it got really quiet. I looked around and realized that everyone had pained looks on their faces. I then realized that one of the other guests had the same last name as the teacher. It wasn't a coincidence either, he was the teacher's son. Try digging your way out of that. Needless to say, the rest of the vacation was very awkward and for several days I found myself humming the melody to the song If I could turn back time by Cher.

I have an outgoing friend who was trying to strike up a conversation with a lady while in a line at a grocery store. He innocently said " I see you have some diapers there. You must have a little one at home". She ignored him so he said it louder. Still no response so he said it again. As he was repeating himself even louder he realized she was holding a bag of Depends. She thought he was mocking her so she let him have it in front of everyone in the store.

My friend Kelly who is a follower on this blog shared the following story. "As a young single dental hygienist I was performing an oral cancer screening on a handsome young man and told him to 'please put your tongue on the top of my mouth' Now THAT was embarrassing!!! He didn't do it btw.."

I'm just grateful I'm not a politician since they talk all day long and are never out of range of multiple microphones. It's only a matter of time until the inevitable happens. The act of putting your foot in your mouth can be excruciatingly uncomfortable, but it is hilarious when it happens to someone else. Feel free to share any of your gaffes, Freudian slips, or embarrassing stories in the comments section.

Addendum 02/28/09-Since I wrote this I came across the blog bee and rose where she shared the ultimate story of putting your foot in your mouth.