Comfort isn't hard to find when the genetic sequences of everyone nearby is amazingly similar to you. Family is contentment, relaxation, because you know everyone. It's easy to be yourself because everyone else is so much like you. This makes it harder for those in the tree who aren't like everyone else. You all grew up the same way, so why are you so different?
Reddit user, u/Squishy_Pixelz, wanted the black sheep to be brave and speak out when they asked:
"Black sheep" of Reddit. What things make you the odd person out in your family?
We're Not Shouting
Ear shattering volume is the default speaking tone for my family.
I'm frequently told to speak up
Not A Fan Of Higher Education
Giphy
Every member of my immediate family has a minimum of 2 university degrees. I bailed on community college after two and a half semesters.
Oh. How are you doing now?
Trade school, five year apprenticeship, working in construction trade.
I like intellectual pursuits such as history, philosophy, and economics.
Just didn't like college.
Are The Rest Of You Deaf?
My family are like this when playing music or watching TV. I like to have my volume below 10 on the TV and at 30% on my phone.
Then I have family telling me to turn it up or playing stuff really loud
When The Genetics Point You In A Different Direction
My parents are both over six foot. I ended up being 5'6" on a good day.
My parents are super athletic. I ended up doing lots of theatre and was embarrassingly bad at sports.
There are other things, but I don't think I turned out quite how my parents imagined. I should have been a volleyball-playing supermodel, and instead I became an artsy little potato. An uncoordinated little spud. They still love me, somehow :P
Technically, You're Both Fighting Fires
Being a fire fighter in a family comprised of teachers.
Path Splitting In Your Career Future
We are 19 people in my immediate family.
I'm the only one interested in science and engineering. All of the adults work in public administration and all of my cousins plan on doing the same. And our political views are just too different. I just have nothing in common with them, I feel like an stranger.
Ugh...People...
I'm extremely introverted; I get drained by being around people for too long and I hate big social events.
Performance Over Public Service
My entire family works for the government (parents/brother/cousins are cops, uncle is a fire fighter, another uncle is a prosecutor) and I'm in musical theater.
As Far At The End Of The Spectrum As Possible
Wealthy father, wealthy siblings. Everyone went to a solid uni and then went into either family business or struck out alone and made ridiculous money.
Of the five of us I'm the ex drug dealing vagabond dropout, barely managed to survive my life this far and still somehow going, meanwhile my siblings are out there making their millions. Got my own place now though, a decent normal job and a new car all legit. Not sure how long it'll last since I'm slipping again but I'm here living the black sheep life. Wow formatting
Lot Of Pressure So Early On
I'm 20 and don't have kids yet.
Little do they know I'm never planning on it either.
I Live In A Better World
Being a nerd/geek. I get attached to fictional characters, buy a ton of merch, and I'm trying to go to more conventions. But most of my family think I'm weird.
One time I told my mom about how devastated I was over the death of a beloved fictional character, and she looks at me and says, "I don't have time to get upset about that stuff cause I'm busy living in the REAL world."
My mom basically called me delusional for being a nerd.
So, What Is The Truth?
Well for one thing apparently my parents raised my kids. One portion of the family thinks I had kids and dumped them on my folks.
Nothing could be further from the truth.
Wait, You Can Eat Marmite?
1: I'm the only one on my household who isn't overweight~obese. I'm average BMI
2: I'm the only one who eats Marmite
3: I'm the only one with a Uni education
Tat Me Up!
I am heavily tattooed, like heavily tattooed (face, hands, etc..) which doesn't sound like much until you learn that I grew up in a very conservative family from the south.
Ignoring What They Don't Like
I'm transgender. I came out over five years ago and it's pretty damn obvious.
The worst part is that everyone keeps pretending that I'm not even though I change more and more between each Thanksgiving dinner.
Religion Or Ride
There are two things that make me the odd person
- I have a really religious family and they kind of force me into this whole Christian thing even though I told them numerous times that I don't believe in any kind of God but they just won't accept that because there can't be other people who have another opinion or just doesn't believe in this stuff.
- My whole family on my fathers side is really into riding. Their entire life is basically about horses and then there's me who hates riding because it is just boring. Plus I'm kind of traumatized by a weird horse camp I went to which was basically hell and since then I never even thought about riding a horse ever again.
Setting The Bar By Breaking The Bar
Giphy
I grew up dirt poor. My wife and I worked our a--es off to get me through college, I earned a master's in engineering. I am dedicated to my career and last year I made over 2.5x my nearest sibling, who is a teacher. Of five living siblings, three don't work, one gets by, and one earns a decent living as a teacher.
I am the black sheep because I am successful and it makes it hard to talk to my siblings. I just have very little to talk with them about. I love most of them, but we have nothing common.
Not Going To Play Your Game...
My grandparents are multimillionaires and own over 100 real estate properties last time I was aware of it. Ive made choices counter to family opinion and when questioned informed the grandparents that I wasnt going to try to make them happy for a check when they died like the rest of the family. They could either like me for me or not, but I thought it was immoral to make decisions based on their opinions.
Being "disowned" (and meaning disinherited) is the big threat they always use, and I told them I had no right to expect anything since it wasnt mine in the first place.
And my mom was previous black sheep, so I'm son of black sheep.
...And Not Willing To Stick Around
I am the only divorcee.
Unlike the previous generations, I do not stay and put up with abuse. I went to counciling, I tried to fix my marriage, but the abuse just kept ramping up. So I took my son and left. I watched my father abuse my mother and my siblings and I all through my childhood. I didn't want that for me or my son.
