: When I share good news with my father, his reaction is always to predict the worst outcome. “My son got his first job in DC! The traffic is going to be terrible for him.” How do I deal with an Eeyore when I’m a Piglet? As A.
A. Milne showed us, Piglets get most of their emotional energy from conversations with Poohs and Tiggers. You shouldn’t avoid telling your father good news, but it would help if you shifted your expectations.
Tiggers rarely change their stripes and the same is true of Eeyores. That being said, you should communicate what you need to your father. Avoid “you always” language; instead try “I want to tell you good news now and it would help me a lot if you could find something positive to say about it.
” I hope your father is able to honor your request, but he just may not have that much sunshine in him. Is that something you can accept? In any case, communicating your needs and boundaries will help you both. That done, don’t be afraid to then go to the Tiggers in your life to give you the kind of enthusiastic cheerleading you’re not getting from Dad.
: I’m a 31-year-old queer woman and I’ve been with my partner for 11 years. They’ve known their whole life they don’t want children and have absolutely no doubts. I didn’t think I did either, and didn’t think I had doubts.
But now all of a sudden many people in my queer community are coming out of the woodwork and starting the arduous process of making/adopting babies, and I’m l.
