My boyfriend has a large family, and most of them are/were involved in team sports, and are the extroverted types. They often have large social gatherings as well. They remind me of the types of people who never understood me, or even liked me, in high school.
I spend most days at his house, and sometimes it's just us, sometimes it's me, him and his parents, and sometimes many family members come over. While I've never had any real problems with his family, I always feel conspicuously out of place around them. I don't know what to say to them, what would be normal or not normal. So half the time I say nothing, or not enough. Then sometimes I get excited about the topic, like yesterday my boyfriend was talking to his niece about a movie we had watched so I was talking about it a lot. Maybe too much? I don't know. But she never said anything directly to me, or even looked in my direction.
It's also hard when it's time for me to leave. My boyfriend usually goes to bed, and I have to walk to the front door to leave, and his parents are usually there. It feels very uncomfortable for me. I would rather not talk to them, it is easier that way, I won't say anything wrong. But I have kind of sneaked away without saying anything a couple times, and I guess his mom talked to him about it and thought it was weird. He tried to tell her I have Asperger's, but we don't think she believes us.
I don't know if I will ever feel comfortable around these people, or know how to interact correctly. But I want it to get less awkward, because we have a great relationship and I think we will be together a long time. Anyone else have similar experiences? How do you deal with it?
04 Aug 2014, 2:12 am
