Okay, I need to just post this and not think that much into it. Do y’all ever feel like annoyed when people don’t respect or support your special interest? Like it may be silly or trivial to them but: this is how I cope. I know most people my age group probably don’t care about childish things like plushies or squishmallows or whatever I’m interested in.. but it really does help me because I enjoy the soft textures and I love animals. Family members and my husband seem to get it for the most part but sometimes I feel like my in laws judge me or think I’m trying to be childish or weird for collecting things. This isn’t a new thing for me to do either. I’ve always collected things. When I was a kid, I collected LPS, my little pony, stuffed animals, barbie, etc. the only difference is and was that it was “socially acceptable” to do that then. When I got older I tried to give up on toys and collectibles but it was boring. I enjoyed hunting for and looking for the items. I did go through a phase with excessively buying clothes. Still do.. but is this me regressing like is it bad for me to be doing this collecting or is it normal to not do this for a few years with peers and then go back to before?