"God bless you..."

[twowhat?]

As we were leaving dinner at a restaurant this is what we heard. We didn't know it was directed at us until it was repeated:

"God bless you."

My DH turned around and there was a guy standing there watching us. He shook his head and said, "Twins? I have a 1 year old and 3 year old. It's a beautiful thing. But it's not easy. God bless you."

1) I was a little surprised to hear this coming from a guy with a thick Texas accent, especially given the part of town we were in,

2) I was a little surprised that this guy recognized how difficult twins are (I think a lot of people assume the whole "kill two birds with one stone" thing and "they must keep each other entertained", etc) - it made me think he must be very involved with his own children, and

3) While I appreciate comments like this from an empathetic point of view, I worry that the girls are old enough to understand now.

My DH simply said "Well...it's definitely easier now than when they were 1".

Any ideas for a good answer to these kinds of situations? I don't want something snarky - the guy was genuinely acknowledging how hard it is to raise twins, and he is completely right - but at the same time I don't want the girls thinking to themselves "we're hard on Mommy and Daddy?" I found myself biting my tongue, as I wanted to say "yes, it certainly is challenging!"

[DietCokeLover]

"Thank you, and you as well."

[twowhat?]

"Thank you, and you as well."

That's perfect!!

[TwinFoxes]

I just say "they keep me busy but they're a lot of fun". All true.

[twowhat?]

I just say "they keep me busy but they're a lot of fun". All true.

This is good too! Making mental note of these

[dowlinal]

I get this a lot. In fact, whenever I am out with all four of my kids, it's almost guaranteed that a stranger will tell me "God bless you" and quite often the tone implies something really negative. I give them my sweetest smile and reply "God has blessed me! Have a nice day!" and then I walk away. I also get "You have your hands full" a lot and my response for that is also, "Yes, God has blessed me." It makes it clear to the other person and my kids that I consider all of them a blessing.

[lhafer]

"Thank you, and you as well."

I'm from Texas, and a lot of people say God Bless You to anyone and everyone. It's a very bible-oriented state.

But this is a great response to that comment, and one I use a lot if it is said to me for whatever reason.