Insults Are Insults, No Matter How You Phrase Them

How do you handle insults?

I don't mean when someone says something straight out to your face, I'm talking about people who make comments that can be taken more than one way, and you know that they are really insulting you?

Did that make sense?

Let's put it this way. Someone says or writes something about a "certain type of person", and you know you are that type of person, and you also know that the person who said it knows that you know that you are that type of person. So you know what they said or wrote was indirectly insulting you.

Now, do you say something back the same way, or do you confront it head on? I'm asking because there is this person who makes comments about the way I live my life, and the way I do my kids, but it is always disguised as something else. This person needs to know that I am not stupid, and I get every little insult that is thrown my way, and that is why we stay away.

So, how would you handle this if it were you?