LOL=Bless Your Heart

If you are not from the South, you may not be familiar with the phrase "Bless Your Heart." It sounds sweet, doesn't it? And you should hear it roll off the lips of an older southern woman. It's like sugar is just dripping around everywhere. Especially if she says, "Bless Your Heart, sugah."

But really, most of the time, this phrase is used to take the sting out of a snide, snarky, sarcastic or otherwise rude comment. Let me demonstrate: "My word. Did you see that dress she had on? Totally 1986...Bless her heart." See that?? A veiled attempt to cover up the fact that you just made fun of someone's clothing. This phrase shows up a lot around here when you're pregnant. Particularly if you carry babies the way I do-HUGE. "Oh honey, you are getting SO BIG, bless your heart."

I've noticed lately, that the "LOL" has become the world wide web's version of "Bless Your Heart." And, friends, it's not just limited to the South anymore. Nope. People all over the nation are attempting to make their jabs just a little less offensive by tacking on an LOL at the end.

I'm guilty of it, I'm sure. I can't think of an instance right off the top of my head, but I know I've done it. But let's be honest, internet correspondence is rife with opportunity for misunderstanding. And a good ol' "LOL" is like some thick icing over a cake that didn't quite come out of the pan just right.

Be on the lookout for some LOLs on your email and facebook. Don't say I didn't warn you.