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[quasigeek]

I was chatting with someone yesterday about a situation that occurred in kindergarten that caused me to stop talking to people. Like, for the rest of my life. And the more I thought about it, the more I realized there were other incidents that year that contributed to my "just shut up and close yourself off" personality. Being a kid isn't entirely

Comments

[rosage]

Man there are so many innocuous-to-the-other-party moments that stick with us forever. Insert story about how the two girls whispering loudly about my unshaved legs in middle school single-handedly secured my vow to never shave my legs. And story about how one other kid saying "what, you think you're better than us?" when I refused to bother explaining my nerdy t-shirt to him gave me an I'm-too-elitist-to-be-with-people complex (though there were other moments for that one, but still). This is why people should think closely about the things they say to other people, especially teachers who are in charge of kids like in your example.

[quasigeek]

Don't even get me started on middle school. It's evil. (Although I had a super-cool English teacher who knew who I had a crush on, so she'd intentionally pair us together for stuff.)

I find it funny that we both have a "whisper-whisper unshaved legs" story, because mine ended with me shaving. And the girls who asked if I got enough sleep because of my undereye circles (it's hereditary okay?). I changed my appearance not so much to fit in, but so I would blend in and they wouldn't notice me.

Ugh. School. It sucked.

[rosage]

I read that as "I had a super-cool English teacher who I had a crush on" Yune help me

My version of the shaved-legs thing is that I don't own a single pair of pants that doesn't cover my ankles, nor do I ever plan to.
>refuse to conform
>hide non-conformity
My life in a nutshell.

[quasigeek]

That sentence was awkward to write, too :P (FWIW I think she's gay, so... okay I'm stopping now.)

[livethlfe]

You just hit the heart of cognitive behavioral psychology. The connection between those early life lessons and how we react to situations today is often the first step in what I do with my clients. You'd make a great client ;)

[quasigeek]

And it's funny, because in the brief time I chatted with a therapist (okay it was on campus, but still) I was like, don't you want to discuss my past? There's some great stuff there. And he didn't, but I always knew that it was the basis for everything I am now.