Just a place for anyone to be silly, playful and whimsical.
She could be onto something there. I think I would be more confident if I could stim.
I think trying to hide that I'm different makes me appear weird in a different way.
Oh yeah. My wife thinks that I would appear less weird if I had the confident not to mask with people.
If someone starts on a topic that interests me, then I will be extremely talkative. To the point where I follow people so I can keep talking. It's embarrassing to realise later that they were likely trying to get away from me.
I tend to prefer my own company. Without the confidence boost of an interesting topic, I feel very awkward. I think trying to hide that I'm different makes me appear weird in a different way.
That would have been me too, although my parents were more encouraging of something like that.
I remember being quite young, we were visiting family on Boxing Day, there was a quiz on tv, I was laying on the floor with cousins, children didn’t get chairs, I was told to shut up, I was shouting out the quiz answers” be quiet, what can you know?” Only actually all the right answers!
I wasn't told that bluntly, but I learnt early on that my desire to talk about "serious" things wasn't reciprocated other people and as I have never been good at small talk, I just stopped talking. And haven't re-started.