Do you have a dumb question that you're kind of embarrassed to ask in the main thread? Is there something you're just not sure about?
This is your opportunity to ask questions. No question too simple or too silly.
Culture war topics are accepted, and proposals for a better intro post are appreciated.
Jump in the discussion.
No email address required.
Notes -
This is one of those times where the easier path is most likely the worse path in the long term. Force yourself to socialize the way you should force yourself to physically exercise, if you are not already exercising through your work or hobbies.
Imagine yourself the parent of an antisocial child refusing to talk with their peers. They might turn out the type of person who values solitude, but the odds are the child has normal social needs and some forced socialization is healthy for the child even if they are unwilling to do it. If you let the child's antisocial behavior become a habit, it will only be harder to break the habit later and you do the child harm. As an adult, if your parents didn't correct your bad habits, you will need the force of will to establish good habits yourself, for your own health and happiness.
You have to be very careful in how you balance bringing this to a resolution. Far too many parents don’t understand the personality and temperament of their own children, and the worst ones always commit the same cardinal mistake: they end up parenting the child they were growing up, and not the one they have. As a parent, you may think just because your child has similarities to you that means they are you. A zebra and a horse both have 4 legs and a tail, but a zebra is not a horse.
People’s constant attempts to encourage pushing me in various directions when I was younger only ever achieved nothing but intensifying my resistance and dislike for everything they were trying to impress upon me. It wasn’t until they finally just gave up (not through any moral epiphanies, just age and being fatigued by time) they just found themselves without the strength to continue to try and cram their garbage down my throat; that I actually had the breathing room to explore these things on my own terms and time, and finally got around to finding interest in enjoyment in what they wanted to expose me to.
More options
Context Copy link
More options
Context Copy link