hardygrrl, wouldn’t you agree that every one of us who posts here on the SDMB is looking for attention and validation?
What is so wrong with that?
Flamsterette_X, you seem to be handling things very well. The quicker that you can acknowledge that you probably will never have your parents’ approval, the easier it will become. It’s not your fault; they just seem to have a lot of issues of their own.
I also have had problems with clinical depression. The last time I was in the hospital, one of the things we discussed in a group meeting was how so many people in our lives had tried to get us to hide our feelings. It’s not a good thing for people prone to depression.
My cousin just sent me a book that sounds like it might be of interest to you. Where to Draw the Line by Anne Katherine. Maybe your library has a copy.
90% of my vision is in one eye. I do have my driver’s license and I’ve never had a ticket in the 40 plus years I’ve been driving. What I lack in a wide field of vision, I make up for in being very cautious. If you ever change your mind about learning to drive, you can still take a course. It does allow a certain sense of independence.
Learn to take what your parents say with a reminder to yourself that your opinion of your life is more valid that theirs. Become the parent to yourself – the one you have always needed.
It may have been “naughty” to use their face cloths. But damn! I wish I had thought of that!
If you don’t find any of these suggestions to be valid for you, then feel good about ignoring them!
To stop the hijacks, I have this
May I not hijack the thread as was suggested and offer my opinion pertaining to Flamsterette’s OP?
I’d like to thank you for posting this. What you have experienced and thusly learned about life is light-years beyond I in that I have barely scratched the surface. It is my reading life experiences like your OP that help me to realise the common bond that we all have as human beings as well as to recognise our differences in a positive light. This helps me to grow as a person, which is a phenomenon I’ve been particularly obsessed with during the last 12 months.
May all your hamsters-on-duty be “sped-up” ones.
I just want to say thanks to Flamsterette for posting this.
I’m assuming this was a very theraputic post, both for the author, and for some of us who read this. thanks
Yes, rubes… it was indeed very therapeutic.
Ginger, if that’s what she meant, then why on earth couldn’t she just say it? Oh wait… she did… never mind then.
Bre’r Lappin, you’re welcome. It’s not about
Thanks for the information you’ve given me, Zoe. I’m sure those suggestions are valid, and I’ll use them in future. I might email you in future… you just never know. 
Joe K, viewpoints like yours are partially why I posted thie story. If we can’t share each other’s life experiences and learn from them, then where has our common bond as human beings gone? I’m glad that my story has caused people to think, and perhaps to re-evaluate certain things in life.
F_X
Oops… hit “submit reply” too soon.
What I meant to say to Bre’r Lappin was that it isn’t about possibly boring people who have read it before, but about awareness. I did debate before posting this, but ultimately decided to. If one person reads and considers this carefully to make perhaps a positive change in their life, then that’ll be good. If not, there’s nothing I can do but to hope. :),
F_X