Gotta work on not letting other people’s negativity infect you. Someone who says mean things like that to you is only airing their own demons

Fuck this was my childhood right there

When people tell you who they are, listen. And as needed, toss them aside.

Being the youngest in a big family, this happened to me constantly. I have now become a recluse and feel bad about myself when I have almost any social interaction where I get excited about something.

Had this happen so much I just started doing it to myself unconsciously lol

My wife, an elementary school teacher, told me about this phenomenon where the kids would get really excited about doing something and for some practical reason she had to tell them they couldn’t do it. She hated to see “their little shoulders fall.” We noticed our own kids doing the shoulder thing when we had to cancel plans, ran out of ice cream or whatever. It’s a very deflated gesture.

I still remember my group of friends in elementary school back when Pokémon was getting very popular.

One of the kids was so genuinely nice, a bigger kid who was obsessed with both Star Trek and the Honey I Shrunk series of movies. But he would talk about Star Trek a lot more. One day he was talking about it, probably a new episode of New Generation and one of my other friends turned to him and said, “Can you shut up about Star Trek? We’re all into Pokémon now. No one cares about that crap.”

You could just see the look of sadness on that kid’s face. I hate that I didn’t speak up for him. Everyone else went silent too. Then he started talking about Pikachu and trying to relate to Pokémon instead of what he wanted to talk about :/

He was just excited and trying to connect with the people he felt close to…

Replace that with rage. Telling someone to go fuck themselves is always an option, and sometimes appropriate

I’ll tell you what I told my kid after they explained to me the differences between Raphael and Leonardo TMNT’s for the 30th time in two days.

it’s good to be excited about a topic that interests you, but don’t expect others to not only not reciprocate but not share in that excitement.

it’s nothing personal, it’s nothing against your topic of choice. sometimes a topic that excites you won’t excite everyone for multiple reasons.

now please stop yelling in my face about turtles.

I don’t need anyone to tell me that to feel that way. I just do that on my own.

Interesting, I’ve never had another treat me like that. Maybe as a kid a parent telling me to shut up and giving me a good pinch because I was being legitimately loud when they were trying to make a phone call. Definitely not in my adult life, I think I would start laughing at them and double down on whatever I was doing that got that response.

Finding good friends is hard, but well worth it. Big hugs, and don’t give up on your excitement or dreams just because of some jerk!

Or you could just not let those people have power over you. They think you’re annoying? They want you to stop?

No. Just NO. And then go on and be as happy and excited as you like. Let THEM be unhappy, not you.

Not everyone is always going to always be interested in everything you have to say, but when someone responds to that feeling by calling you annoying or telling you to shut up?

That is no longer your problem - that is THEIRS. That’s an inappropriate, childish response to someone’s enthusiasm, and frankly, you deserve better friends than that.

Learned early on to keep go at it alone for this reason.

It also made sure that I look down at those people now with contempt.