Oh, yeah, I did just fine pressuring myself without any additional parental pressure. I had their unfailing support, but there was never a sense that I'd disappoint them, or that I wasn't doing well enough for them. They were great. I was the one who was just a tad on the boiler.

I remember it being easier to talk to adults, in general, because they gave you less flack about your vocabulary. But the ones you did freak out tended to freak out in a mighty and spectacular way.

With a few exceptions, I had trouble socializing and making friends of any depth until my sophomore year in HS, at which point my peers aged into the lower range of folks I could tolerate interacting with. Not being fond of kids is somewhat isolating as an adult, but it makes for an Emily Dickensian childhood. I'm pretty sure that if my natural inclination hadn't been to be content with quiet solitude, I would have been an insufferable teacher's pet instead of merely an annoying one.

Skipping to congratulate Raquel and her DH, and to welcome Mallory James into the world!

Has this always been happening, or is tearing folk in half a trendy new thing for Aussie sharks?

It happens. Most attacks are more tentative, but I think we average about one fatality a year.

erikaj: I understood your post. I worry about me.

Tearing people in half in the land down under... Do we need sharks for that?

The message center link has gone away. My world is askew.

Tearing people in half in the land down under... Do we need sharks for that?

Actually, yes. Croc teeth aren't designed for tearing.

t Waving at billytea

How are you doing? It's been forever since I posted with you (though I have been wondering how you're doing, from time to time).

Welcome Mallory James!

Hey ThreadKiller. LeePerkins had some issues with her subscribed threads after she changed her name.

Welcome Mallory James, and congrats to Raquel and DH.