What’s the sad reality about life that you had to learn?

[YouAreNotBatman]

To me it was how little people actually care about other’s.

And how lonely and isolating life can be, even as an adult, if you just don’t ”fit in” with the norm.

Men never stick around

That DD and I are not as important in other people’s lives as they are in ours and we will never have that level of ‘close family’. Other people have their nuclear family - usually multiple parents and siblings, and we just have each other. Then they have close family - siblings of parents, parents mainly. We just have each other (and my parents who have chosen to live abroad and barely visit. When they do, it’s a rushed and busy affair primarily for other reasons and filled with appointments for them. Never in school holidays, either). We have a large wider family and lots of friends, but they don’t replace that inner circle. And they all have their own families to put first. No one, but no one, ever puts us first.

DD has no father, no siblings, no aunts or uncles, just grandparents that don’t even spend Christmas with her (by choice). She plans to have no children, which may change when she’s an adult of course! It’s….upsetting to consider.

I am sorry this has been your experience.
X

Eeksteek
I think you should explain to some of the people in your life how you feel. People sometimes don’t think about other people but it doesn’t mean they don’t care. The example of the grandparents choosing to not be with you at Christmas-maybe they don’t know how much it impacts you

@WrongBurgundy You are absolutely bang on! Every single point you’ve made. I could have written your post … unfortunately. 😔

…that our democracy is much more fragile than I thought.
Our culture favours the loud mouth who tells it like it is.
We need much more critical thinking in everyday life.
First impressions are not always right.
Life is a tragedy but hobbies in life are a softener.
Exercise and fresh air are good for me.
Re gossip and bitching: if I haven’t seen or heard it for myself then there’s no accounting for it.
People lie for all sorts of reasons.

mine is that you are responsible for yourself. You are responsible for your reactions to situations, you are responsible for your life choices and to a certain extent your health and well-being. That might sound sad but it is completely liberating actually. I have never relied on others to meet any of my needs so company and friendship is welcomed but not relied on. I don’t have expectations of people as they too are responsible for themselves.. not my peace or happiness.
I am grateful for happy and healthy connections

There's always two sides to a story.

@girlfriend44 , there are 3 sides to a story. Your side, my side and what actually happened.

That bad people do not always get their comeuppance. Many bullies and selfish people do prosper.

For me I remember the moment I realised that women will generally have much easier, nicer lives if men find them attractive.

But it isn’t snobbish to say that pretty much all the hard evidence we now have points to Brexit having been a massive mistake.

When I was at primary school, that the two least pleasant girls in my school year were the two girls everyone liked. I did not understand. I wonder what they are like now.

(also the boys liked them, which ties in with FunDragon's comment)

That dogs are the best thing in the world.

That there's NOT someone for everyone.

And a
Partner will not turn up when you stop looking

This is the saddest one yet. But unfortunately true.

That there's no point in talking because noone listens or cares.

That there's little point in my existence.

FunDragon
For me I remember the moment I realised that women will generally have much easier, nicer lives if men find them attractive
There was a thread on this recently and only after it we were on holiday. One of the coordinators there was Disney princess beautiful. We couldn’t understand why she talked to us so much more than other families then we realised that the men were mostly creepy to her or avoided looking at her because generally the partners were distant or giving her looks and she regularly had children just run up and hug her or want their pictures taken. There was a stag do and they were absolutely leery with her. She laughed it off and diverted attention etc but I really felt for her because she was a genuinely lovely girl earning money for college. Give me fade into the background looks any day!!!

The only person you can ever really trust is yourself.

cpjoli
That there's no point in talking because noone listens or cares.

That there's little point in my existence.
Please please don’t think this. I’ve felt like this in the past. If you can, try to start a conversation, even in a shop or the like tomorrow. Just something small. I made a point one year of going into a shop a day and just trying to have even a short chat. It seems weird but it really does something. And if you have any friends or relatives maybe try giving them a call x

You can fade into the background if you're attractive too though if you want to. The difference is you have a choice. Obviously its not going to happen while you're dressed as a Disney Princess though.

Everything seems impossible until its done.

You can fade into the background if you're attractive too though if you want to. The difference is you have a choice. Obviously its not going to happen while you're dressed as a Disney Princess though.
She wasn’t dressed as a princess, sorry, I meant she was as pretty as one, that really simple but stand out beauty

People will say or do anything for power and money.

Things like Duty, Honor, Love of Country don't really exist. Or if they do, they only do for naive fools who vote the bastards into power.

Believe you me, you do not want that!
That would mean never getting to a relationship.
Speaking from experience.