Witzend
My mother was like this. She was fine while my father - a very jolly, sociable, type, was alive, since she could ‘hide behind him’ so to speak, at any non-family social occasion.
Once he was gone, she just wouldn’t go to anything unless one of us went with her - not even a meeting of her residents’ association of the small close where she lived, even though she knew most of the others.
By then we knew it’d be useless - and just cause her stress - to try to persuade her.
I’m a sort of cross between my parents - I’m fine with social occasions but would often prefer not to have to go!
One dd is a real extrovert, extremely sociable, the other is more like me.
And as so often with extroverts, mine thinks there’s something wrong with people who aren’t like her!
My mother is exactly the same . My father was very sociable and his job involved entertaining clients, often with my mother. I now realise she was hiding behind him. Since his death 20 years ago she rarely goes out unless it’s with me, my siblings , her siblings or a small group of girlfriends she met at my primary school.
She lives in a retirement complex and doesn’t go to coffee mornings unless I take her. She just finds socialising too stressful.
I’m a combination of both parents . I’m fine with social occasions, meeting people and can do small talk . But also enjoy my own company and being by myself.
