Do you ever feel like your on the 'outside' looking in?

Lol Rhyb, me too! 'I mopped the floor today - love me? Praise me? SEE I'M TOTES A GROWN-UP NOW, I DO HOUSEWORK WITHOUT BEING NAGGED!' lol ;) I want my responsibility award!

Gigi, I am totally hearing you on the whole 'not fitting in' thing... just a couple of years ago I was in the 'scene', I thought I knew who I was (even if nobody else 'got it'), but now I feel like I've lost my identity somewhere amongst the nappy changes and vaccination research and I can't identify with any one 'group' any more :( I still have good friends who are part of the goth/emo scene but I find we're moving in such different circles these days, it's like I've 'sold out' and like I don't quite fit in with them any more, but on the other hand, most 'mainstream' people look at me and probably think I'm a bit scary or weird, so I'm kind of floating around somewhere in the middle and wondering where I'm supposed to go. Even basic things like how I dress these days - used to be all black, corsets, boots, heavy eyeliner and fluoro streaks in my jet-black hair - I've now traded that in for a 'mummy' haircut and colour, I wear floaty floral-print tops to hide the post-baby lumps but I'm not yet a 'frumpy mummy', I've kept my septum piercing and have a huge tattoo across my chest so it feels a bit weird to look in the mirror and go, 'Who the heck are you?' lol! I was whining to DH the other day about just that, feeling too old to dress like a ratty scene kid, but too young to join the capri-pants wearing Playground Mafia ;) (not to criticise anybody who wears capri pants, I actually really like them in black with a black band tee and bandana in my hair!)

I absolutely agree re the money/class thing - we're too broke to pay the rent in a 'nice' suburb so I'm really too afraid to invite friends over for get-togethers because I worry that they will judge us based on where we live (which is odd because one of my besties is a single mum who lives in housing commission and she never has a problem inviting her 'posh' friends around for catch-ups, I don't know why I'm so afraid of judgement). I also miss out on a lot of social things because a lot of it seems to revolve around spending money I can't afford, so I opt out - birthday parties etc are all these huge themed 'parties' at nightclubs where guests are expected to spend $200+ just on an outfit for the evening 'to fit in' and then pay for their own drinks etc, I just can't justify that for a wear-once outfit even though it sounds like a lot of fun :( So then I'm a 'party-pooper' who either thinks I'm too good to hang out with everyone, or I'm just a boring sap, which just isn't the case at all.
*hugs* I reckon we'd get along just fine! :D

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I just stress about meeting new people, esp women older than me, and it all snowballs from there and I end up just not bothering or I sit like a statue and pray for it to end without me looking like an idiot.

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OMG well that just makes sense to me now you gorgeous woman cause i noticed when i went to initiate converstation with you at the GC meetup it was kept short and i got the feeling you saw my age rather than me being someone who might have been 25 once and that part still sits within me and i haven't forgotten what it was like to be 25, which doesn't mean i want to be 25 still but i do remember what comes with being 25 :hug:

Well if i lost you with all that i have failed, infact i think just confused myself, lol !! :lol:

... I totally understand where you are coming from cause would you believe it i can get that from women much older than myself now but not all that often thankfully.

I think there is a real difference between woman who chose to behave the number of age they are, whatever that is. It doesn't mean a woman wants to perseve herself another age she is just who she is no matter what age she is. But sadly there are women who will look down at someone younger and not take them seriously. Those sorts of women as longs as it's not potenially being spiteful i just remove myself away from them. I would just rather be around anyone that seems nice enough and interesting enough no matter how young or older they are :)

The only thing i can guess here is maybe these older people are trying to remind you that you are young and your age is 25 regardless of being married with children or not. What they are not taking into account is that for your being 25 married with children actually could mean you are more mature with life experiences and that they are wrong and naive themselves for not seeing that :shakehead:

I think give yourself more credit when talking to someone older than yourself because you could be pleasantly surprised they more than likely are very interested in what you have to say and they themselves have come away learning something from you :heartbeat:

It will get somewhat better i promise :) ... and OMG don't you wish those wrinkles any earlier please NOOOO :pray:

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I just want to belong somewhere; I want to have close friends and have my kids grow up with loads of great people around them. It gets hard spending our entire lives living away from family so friends end up being the only constant faces in our boy's lives. I want to feel comfortable in my own grown up skin instead of always feeling like a gawky, hormonal 13 year old girl, unsure of herself and just trying to stay afloat.

When do you stop feeling like a square peg in a round hole?

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:hug: I hear you, I do I do :( :hug: