To feel a bit disconnected to people because I lost my parents

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My mum died when I was a teenager, and so I had to grow up fast. I felt very different to my school friends and when I went away to university I still felt a bit different. My dad then died a few years later.

I am getting to the age now where parents of my friends are edging into their late 70s/80s (depending on how old they were when they had them) and I know in the next ten years my friends will be going through the heartbreaking loss of their parents. And I can’t really relate because mine are so long gone.

I am not really expecting anything from this post other than to wonder if a) anyone can identify with this and b) if anyone understands what I mean.

Sorry but screw them - give them the socially unacceptable response.

People need to learn some people lose parents early while others still have one or more parents alive when they are in their 60s.

This is one of the worst things for me - both patents dead by my early 20’s. My mother died a few days after my 22nd.
My mother in particular used to make a tremendous Hoo-ha about my birthday, in fact anyone’s birthday. But I just can’t face it, it’s too painful, so I’ve not had a “birthday” for nearly 30 years now. Ridiculous really, but there we are.

That sounds really miserable I know, and by most peoples standards I’ve lived a fabulous life, apart from the parents “leaving early to avoid the rush” my life has been pretty charmed. But it still hurts all these years later if I let myself dwell on it.