Parents Religion

[Bluejay]

Close knit neighborhoods can be great, but they can also suck. Lots of gossip. I can see how that would play in to the church dynamics. I have enough trouble fitting in to an established neighborhood; I can't imagine how hard it would be if it were also my church group. I bet it is even harder on the newcomer.

ITA. In fact, as I was trying to describe what I'd experienced, life in a small town was the most similar idea I could think of.

And then, I think you have to know yourself too. I value privacy, and sometimes have a thin skin to criticsm, which is part of why those aspects of Utah grated on me. Someone else might see it differently.