so lonely :(
My parents seperated when I was about 4 or 5. I went with my mum and she moved back to a remote island off the west coast of scotland where her family lived. She didnt work and was skint. We lived in a mobile home/caravan thing which was a good 5 miles from the nearest other kids. My mum doesnt drive. I spent years there, just me and my mum, playing on my own. I never had ANY friends as I never socialised at all after school.
My parents got back together and returned to the mainland. I was looking forward to being near other kids, but they moved into a farmhouse in the middle of no-where and again I had to make do with my own company. All the years there, I can remember 2 occasions where other kids came to see me and I never went to see other kids at their houses. Any kind of after-school activity or club was not allowed.
Eventually, they moved to a house in a small village, a house which overlooked a football pitch and large play park. Loads of other kids playing all day, woopee. Except my mum wouldnt let me go out for any length of time in case I was abducted. I had to "check in" with her every 15 minutes whenever I went out anywhere. This basically tied me to a very tight circle around the house. All the other kids could play around the village all day (this was 20 years ago so parenting was generally quite relaxed regarding kids being outside, and the village was a great place for kids to grow up) and regarded me as some kind of freak as I had to keep running home. Bullying ensued.
My mum didnt seem to think it strange that I was a total outcast and spent all my time in my room watching the other kids have fun. Becoming a teenager made no difference, I had to tell her exactly where I was going, who I would be with, and when I would be home. She usually over-ruled and gave me a much earlier time to be home by, and she called the police a couple of times when I was late by 10 minutes or so, and would be in real tears of anguish, certain I had been kidnapped, molested and murdered.

Going to a party? no chance.
Staying over at a friends house? no chance.
Joining the cub-scouts? no chance.

Due to her rediculous over-protectiveness I grew up as a total social reject with no confidence and a complete inability to make friends. Now, approaching 30, Im still stupidly shy, quiet and uncomfortable in crowds.
She has an alzheimers-like wasting brain disease and can barely remember the names of any other family members but she still phones me up at least twice a day to check where I am and if Im ok, ask who Im with and what time I will be out till. She will probably be dead by the end of the year and I cant say im too bothered to be very honest. I love her, but I think her over-protectiveness ruined the formative stages of my life.
(dave likes cheese, Fri 9 Mar 2007, 16:16, Reply)