On calling bluffs, escape velocity, and the futile, necessary, but probably still futile, work of reclaiming some of our relatives from history's flaming dumpster. Content note: Sometimes honestly talking about authoritarian stuff and white supremacy means describing it, so there are examples of actual racist and xenophobic statements from relatives herein.
Category: self-care
Links: The Holidays and What To Do About Them
Weird holidays, weird year.
#1296: “Gender may be made up but it’s still messing with me”
Rae is back, restoring a sense of discovery and play to figuring out who the heck you are.
#1295: “Is my boyfriend a jerk or am I just Too Sensitive?”
#ThisFuckingGuy, again.
#1293: “I’m worried my family’s anger about me being a trans man will overshadow my sister’s wedding.”
Licensed therapist Rae McDaniel reminds a reader that discomfort is not harm, and trans people aren't messing up their family events by existing at them.
#1292: “My creep sister is forwarding my queer child’s social media posts to our conservative parents. How to draw a boundary without outing my kid?”
"I'm not a bigot, I'm just really *worried* that you and your child are total deviants who don't deserve rights." -Some Dipshit
#1289: “A potential friend is now an ex, and I don’t know why.”
"Let's be friends 4-ever" is a wish, not a promise, so it was in the high school yearbook, and so it is at work.
#1284: “I have to see my ex again in a year and it is a constantly ticking time bomb in my head.”
Sometimes your brain just wants to be obsessed with somebody for a while. Hi Captain, My now ex (he/him), and I (she/her) broke up at the end of May. It was pretty much mutual. He asked if we could stop being exclusive for a while (we were long distance). I was already having other problems … Continue reading #1284: “I have to see my ex again in a year and it is a constantly ticking time bomb in my head.”
It Came From The Search Terms: July 2020
Yes! It is time! Time to treat the search strings people typed in right before they washed up on these blog shores as if they are actual questions! Inside: Mask etiquette, reformed Nice Guy™ apologies, overly-neighborly neighbors, favor-sharking defined, and more.
#1281: “Every conversation with my mom is an interrogation of my life choices.”
How does a gentle reminder about doing your laundry from someone who loves you become an existential struggle? Plus, strategies for changing unhealthy communication patterns that do not rely on *persuading* the other person to change for you. Dear Captain Awkward, What are some good scripts for telling my mother I don't want or need … Continue reading #1281: “Every conversation with my mom is an interrogation of my life choices.”
