Trying to Evade Family

[BlueCorvidae]

Honestly it seems to me that the problem might go a little bit deeper than what your family would think of the merfolk hobby. If you're really that scared even for your privacy, you might need a support group that is more familiar with the underlying issue. (Not that I'm saying anybody here wouldn't get it, if you're having or had similar problems I recommend this for you too.)

The community at https://www.reddit.com/r/raisedbynarcissists/ are all about dealing with controlling parents who can't seem to understand that you are your own person, and can offer you advice no matter your age. Also, if you can, you may need to see a therapist to help you with your fear of what your family thinks of your interests, whether it's swimming with a tail or anything else.

[Flukes]

Howdy! I just wanted to add a few thoughts that I had (maybe some people had covered this, maybe not), but it is REALLY important to have friends you can talk to about this stuff to in your real offline life. Sometimes that can seem really hard to find, but sometimes its just a matter of trusting the nearest bubbly boy or girl who loves sparkly things and believes in magic, or that one smoker who glares at everyone from behind the gym and loves silent movies (just don't bum cigarettes off her, you'll want your lungs clean for diving!). As for the books you want to get, if you are really scared about ordering them, have you thought about checking your local library to see if you can borrow them there? Sometimes they will order books they don't have if you put a request in as well (Librarians are the COOLEST people ever!)

I also agree with BlueCorvidae, and I think it's important that you maybe look at if you feel you can just come forward and talk about wanting to learn the mer stuff to your family. There's nothing wrong with it--it's athletic, it's fun, it's sporty, it's entertainment, it can be so many things! It's part of ocean conservation, part of diving, learning new skills, socializing, participating in your community and learning more about the world, and it's okay to like those things. But if you really feel that there's no way you can talk about this and just be honest about what you want, then you may need to look at finding some other resources for how to help you, like the above forum, or a school counselor or teacher you can trust. If family situations are bad and talking to them isn't an option you can always try texting a crisis hotline--it doesn't have to be an emergency to contact one--they are there to listen for people who need someone to talk to, and they have all the right training to help out in any situation and might have some good advice for dealing with a more serious situation.

The good news is that it seems like lots of people here know what you're talking about, and we all made it and it's fine. You can too!

[Mermaid-Avalon]

I've come out at school last year cuz they were asking what i wanted to do. They never supported me. My family knows about the whole I love mermaids, I wanna be a professional mermaids thing. But my mom, she doesn't really care. She doesn't pay attention. And when I talk about it, being my interest, she ignores me and gets annoyed. My mom isnt very supportive.

But i agree with others here.

[Ransom]

I've come out at school last year cuz they were asking what i wanted to do. They never supported me. My family knows about the whole I love mermaids, I wanna be a professional mermaids thing. But my mom, she doesn't really care. She doesn't pay attention. And when I talk about it, being my interest, she ignores me and gets annoyed. My mom isnt very supportive.

But i agree with others here.

All the best, Avalon! Keep working on it -- if you're still young, time's on your side. I've found it's far more important to one day be independent and free to do it than to be accepted by your family right now.

I'm still plugging away at that (curse the high property prices and my loved one's long-term illness) but it should be achievable for most people earlier than for me.