Coping with Being Unliked by Family​💔

Ever since I started thinking independently, I’ve been the “problem child” in my family. While I’m fun and well - liked by my in - laws, my relatives just don’t get me. They find me boring. Since I was 16 and formed my own opinions, I noticed that the most popular thing to do was to be bland and hide my interests. Every mundane event in my life becomes a big deal when they ask about it. I’ve had my current job for five years, yet they still ask if I like it. On the other hand, my long - term relationship with my future wife, which is longer than my time at that job, is never questioned. I have a rich spiritual life that’s different from my childhood faith. My mom still tries to make me feel guilty for not performing in the church I left ten years ago. After years of trying to connect, I realized they don’t really know me. I used sock puppets to communicate with them for over a decade. They loved the puppets because they were easy - going and didn’t challenge the status quo. But they don’t like the real me. Now, I’ve distanced myself from my family to focus on me and my future wife. They miss the sock puppets, but I won’t go back. How do you deal with the pain of not being liked by family? How do you accept that the family that once loved you now ignores your true, healthy self? #FamilyRejection #SelfAcceptance #FamilyDynamics #PersonalGrowth #MovingOn