I've read different stories that touched on this, but I was just wondering how you told your friends and family about your decision. Did you tell people ahead of time or just let them be surprised?
Only a few people in my family know and my roommate, too...it's winter break and when everyone's back in January, I'll already have the braces. I've chickened out of telling a few people already, but I feel like I should keep a few close friends in the loop.
I could definitely be accused of obsessing over my emotional baggage, but my teeth REALLY bother me. I find myself in conversations all the time that make me want to cry (friends talking about so-and-so that they work with who "have bad teeth" or a few weeks ago, there was a long convo at dinner because one girl was talking about her friend who wants braces and her parents aren't supportive even though her teeth are very crooked...then this person said that her grandpa bought her braces when she was 14 because he said no one would marry her otherwise...she thought that was mean/stupid for sure, but the entire conversation made me want to slide under the table.)
![Embarassed :oops:](./images/smilies/icon_redface.gif)
It's no secret that my teeth are crooked, but I'm dreading even reacting to the "you got braces!" realizations from people. If someone said "it's about time" or even said something remotely rude, I'd want to cry. Or hit them.
Everyone here seems super-positive, which I really appreciate, but I am just wondering if you were always that way. Getting braces means fixing a problem, but it also means acknowledging a problem (can't pretend that "I don't care that my teeth are crooked" anymore.)
How have others mastered this?