So I’ve been going to the library a half block from my house for the last 7 years. It’s been my safe place since I was 13, and I got to know the 3 librarians very well (all women, 2 in their 80s and 1 in her late 30s).
I was sitting in my favorite spot at the table in the corner working on writing out my final arc of a series and my music ended at the wrong moment. I overheard the 2 people in their 80s talking about one of their grand daughters who had a baby with her boyfriend (they’re in their early to mid 20s)
Anyway, the grandmother (I’ll call her Betty), just kept saying how horrible of a thing this was. Betty wouldn’t even use her grandchild’s name. She just kept calling them “the illegitimate child”. All the while, the other librarian (I’ll call her Karen) was wholeheartedly agreeing.
My mom wasn’t married when she had me, and so a chord was struck within me. I looked over to them in mid-sentence, and they clammed up and turned beet red. I didn’t say a word as I packed up my things and left.

Anyone who knows anyone or has anyone who has children without being married first, NEVER CALL THE CHILDREN ILLEGITIMATE! They are children just the same as those that come from a married household! They have feelings and anxieties just the same as everyone else, and they deserve love just the same.