Dear Diane: Comments concern adoptive parent

Dear Diane: My husband and I spent seven years trying to adopt a child. Finally, our prayers were answered, and this spring our darling adopted baby boy, “Sheldon,” came into our lives.

Here’s the problem: Whenever we’re approached and explain that Sheldon is our adopted son, people always say, “Oh, he’s so lucky! You saved him, and now he’s going to have a better life.”

I really hate hearing that. How can I tell people that I’m the one who is lucky to have this little angel in my life?

— Adoptive Mom in Montreal

Dear Montreal:

Oh, please don’t.

Seriously.

Just take the compliment for what it is. Say thank you and hold off on the “I’m so lucky” baloney.

The minute you start with that line, you come off as being falsely modest. You give the impression of wanting people to think, “Not only is she a saint for rescuing this baby from the gutter, she’s so modest about it too!”

Now, that may not be what you want people to think, but that’s how you come off — as a person who wants to draw attention to themselves in order to suck another gushing compliment.

So just leave things alone. You may very well feel lucky to have Sheldon in your life, and that’s just wonderful. I wish you all the best in this new journey with your brand-new son.