Aunties and their probing questions: How many of us go through annoying intrusive interviews from middle-aged women, the minute we greet them at a party or a

meet up? It almost seems like the questions are pre-rehearsed, learnt like a rapper and perfected the art of placing you at unease!

Interestingly enough most of the questions they ask revolve around matters which will have the least effect on their lives, whether it’s about what we are studying,

when will we get done with them? Are we working or not? If we are single or committed, if committed when the marriage due is and if married when’re the kids are due …The list of inquiries seems endless.

As a culture aren’t we too interested in other people’s lives? Are the close knit-family ties granting free permit or rights to aunties in particular to cross all barriers

on privacy? How can they be tackled?

If we give monosyllable answers, we are perceived rude, if we smile politely and offer answers, more questions are thrown our way, if we do as told and oblige their every query it will still be interpreted as what they want to believe! So how can an encounter like that made easier for us?

For a list of reasons, I have come to a conclusion that they can’t be won with, they come in packs, they hunt you down and it’s best if you plaster a sweet smile and

filter most of their comments through. But the biggest question remains, how is any of the shared information any good for them? Agreed some may be inquisitive

due to a particular agenda, but aren’t most of them just doing so out of habit?

Maybe it’s just not the aunties, with the social networking sites and the volumes of information, pictures and updates available from our friends and peers are we

also compelled to stalk through their lives, shifting our focus away from what we should be aiming to achieve?

Where can we draw the line in matters of ethics to pause and review our queries if they may be in conflict with an individual’s reservations? Why do we feel

compelled to probe and meddle in other people’s lives? Is it that we are unknowingly looking for the zest which is lacking from our own routine?

Will we ever learn that maybe other people’s business may not be our own?