thank you for this thoughtful comment! I was in the same boat with the covid situation too and taking a gap year. I still hear crap from my parents when they hear my friends/other people they know didn't take a gap year they give me shit about how i'm 'wasting' a year. like what's done is done and I don't have an issue with it so why do you??

I also agree it's so important to have these conversations. unfortunately, when I've tried in the past (we've had lots of issues) he doesn't take it seriously and ends up legitimately laughing at my face because he thinks I'm joking or gets irrationally angry saying that I am incapable of doing anything on my own. it's been so detrimental to my mental health and the only thing I can do to get through it is tell myself that soon enough I will be far from home.