Public Pregnancy Perks

There are definitely some perks to being obviously pregnant if you live in a big city.  On the subway, people give up their seat for you, not only on the train but on the platform benches while waiting for the train to come.  In fact, they shoot up out of their seat at the very site of you. This is usually done by men. It’s as if they feel guilty you are pregnant and want you not to suffer what they deem as the unpleasantries of pregnancy for one second longer.  Their eyes are averted, but they seem to have special peripheral vision to spot you in the first place.  Another example of getting foot relief is the line at the post office or any public institution where lines occur, such as the Department of Motor Vehicles, where I found myself today. My driver’s license expires in January, so I thought I’d get ahead of the game by renewing it now. It didn’t really happen the way I wanted to, but at least the good citizens of Manhattan scooted me up to the front of the line, whereupon, being short of the adequate amount of identification, I was sent home. You need umpteen documents to prove that you are who you are if you want a New York State driver’s license. I still haven’t converted my Illinois one for a New York one. Oh, I’ve tried, but the lines have been horrendously long and my lunch hour didn’t suffice; or in the case today, I was one document short.  But I am going to use this pregnancy to the fullest degree to my advantage (even though it didn’t work with Delta Airlines when we were marooned on hurricane-stricken St. Thomas island).  I will get that license while I am still pregnant and I will send out my Christmas presents early while I am still pregnant to avoid the long lines. And I will ride the subway more gleefully knowing I will get the coveted seat. A girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.   Then there is the chivalry that has seemed to go out the window this generation. The opening of the door, the pushing of the revolving door (although my friend swears the only reason men give the revolving door a push before a woman enters through is in order to get a glimpse of their derrieres, but I doubt that's the case of me, as I've seen my backside view in the dressing room mirrors at Macy's!), the letting of women out of the elevator first, the offering of the umbrella in a rainstorm, all seem to be happening to me quite more frequently now that I have the hugeness in my belly. Hey, you need a little attention like that when you feel like a cumbersome member of society. And if these mostly men do feel guilty or uncomfortable at the sight of a pregnant woman, so be it, but I am going to chalk it up to society being on its best behavior. One final note : I do get quite a bit of help from woman, too. I don't mean to exclude them.  It's just more funny to me to get this response from the male species, because it's honestly nice to have them put out the extra care.