No kidding. I had been dealing with symptoms like these for two weekdays but I just wasn't sure, you know? Finally at 10 pm one night - afraid my teen daughter would wake up to find I'd died in my sleep! - I drove myself to the ER. They kept me overnight because they weren't sure, either.

I think it's helpful to indicate at the beginning that you have somewhere else to be after - you know, plan to meet someone for coffee, and then be meeting a friend for lunch, so after an hour you can honestly say "okay, gotta go!" If it isn't going well you have an out, if it is going well you will be able to see…

Nearly everyone I know IRL or have met online has said they signed up on their own, so that last paragraph is your experience but not mine, at all.

Brilliant! Being able to keep trouble in perspective or even see the positives in a situation is definitely something I have taught my daughter, as well. I have seen it pay off time and again. She has room to be sad but after a moment, she is the one who starts pointing out why a situation that seemed like a bad thing…

I think this is the kind of thing you teach by example, whether you intend to or not.

Being kind doesn't mean you don't have boundaries, self esteem, or good sense.