Kea, you do not sound odd or weird at all to me. You express yourself very well here. I believe it was Iso that mentioned the internet gave her confidence. Well keep posting here. No one seems unable to relate to you.

I was reading some of your post to a friend of mine. I told him if you weren't taken and he wasn't gay, the two of you would be soul-mates! He, too thinks he fails horribly in social situations. He does not. I have been places with him before and people actively seek him out. He does just fine, but he tells me later he doesn't know what to say or feels like he will come off as stupid, blah, etc. He doesn't.

Maybe you are fine just like you are. I don't think you need coaching, acting lessons or to try to be Katie Couric. Be Kea.

Don't let the bf's mom cause you to question yourself. A first meeting some time ago is her reason not to like you? Come on! That is bullshit. You said it yourself-she is jealous and sees you and your family as taking her son away. That is all it is about, no matter what bogus reason she is giving. She had plans to "mold" him and you screwed it up.

She is not a very smart woman, either. How long did you say the two of you had been together? 5 years? Has she not caught on that you are a keeper?

My husband and I had a very rocky "courtship." He had moved in with me before we married, but then left. When we got back together and were planning to marry, he told his mom and also told her not to "start" anything with me. She did. She warned me never to hurt her son again. (As if there aren't two sides to every story.) My husband took my side and was very angry with his mother. He was close to his mother, btw.

We were at my future in-laws house for Christmas. My husband (then fiance) wanted us to leave right then. I told him we should stay. The upshot of it was that he cooled off, talked to his mom and then she and I talked. Whether or not my mother-in-law really liked me or not is not the point. The point is she realized I was a "keeper." She had sense enough not to alienate me again. Your bf's mother does not.

I don't want to offend, but why doesn't your guy take your side? Why is he trying to change you when he says he likes your eccentric ways?

I learned something from my mother-in-law. I am not really crazy about my youngest son's gf, but I am not about to trash her and alienate my son. I am not jealous or afraid she is taking my son away.That's the whole idea anyway-your kids grow up and make their own families.

What bugs me about her was that she tried too hard to pretend we were best friends right off the bat. It struck me as fake. She is actually TOO extroverted. Sometimes the schmoozing doesn't work. However, if anything really comes of it, I will embrace this girl into my family. And it will not be fake. If my son loves her, then that is good enough. I will find a way to like her. I will see what it is in her he sees. He actually told me she is much more like me than his previous gf that I did like. Go figure that one!

Again, be yourself, Kea. My youngest also has a saying that may help you. "If you knew how little people actually thought of you, you wouldn't care what they thought."