h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Hi FC.
I am back in the land of the electronically living after nearly six months of residing in a kind of emotional wasteland in sunny Stockport. Sorry for the long leave of absence - especially as it looks as if you could have used as much support as possible in the last little while.

My move down here has been a bit of a nightmare. Crap job, crap flatmates, crap town - missing Edinburgh horribly. I've calmed down a bit now and am relatively sane again. At least I have stopped crying uncontrollibly at the slightest provocation (not a trait I am usually known for). For a while it felt as if I had packed my life up in a box when I moved down here and left it in Scotland. Still, as I say, I am calming down a bit now and feeling a lot happier after having made the decision that I need to find a job back in Scotland for the good of my health, so I may be on the way back in the next six months.

Sorry to hear things are so difficult for you at the moment. The whole thing sounds like a terrible emotional mess for you.

*virtual hug*.

I can offer very little comfort except to say that, in my experience anyway, your relationship with your parents will improve the older you get. I promise you. It took about four years after moving away from home for my parents to begin treating me differently, trusting my judgement a little more. Even now my Mother drives me to distraction because, even at the age of twenty five she still doesn't have absolute faith in me. The difference is that, while my parents oppinion still matters to me, I can recognise that they are capable of being just as silly, petty and ridiculous as I am. We all grow older, but we never really change all that much.

I am horrified that your parents have taken against Stephen so strongly, he's such a nice guy. However misguided their reaction, however petty and silly and nasty they get about this, however much they dissaprove of your actions and motives, however much they indicate that they don't trust you or have faith in you - they will not stop loving you, because they're your parents and parents keep loving their children no matter what.

I know that waiting and waiting must be driving you insane, but I think that if you can show your parents that you and Stephen will stick by each other for as long as it takes, no matter what - they will be more likely to accept and approve in the long run.

I hope you don't think I'm overstepping the mark by saying all this to you, but I think you're a genuinely lovely person and I think you're very sensible and mature and I'm absolutely sure that things will work out well for you and Stephen. You both deserve it.

All my love. I'll be thinking of you both.

Caroline