Yeah I feel slightly different about this. At this point in my life, I’m just thankful for having the time to talk with my parents and connect with them in any way I can.

With strangers or acquaintances, it’s a different story. At first I’m happy to “engage” with them in that way— I like to be private, and by talking about the weather, etc., I don’t have to divulge anything I don’t want to. Plus, they still feel like they’re connecting with me even if I haven’t spent the emotional energy to actually open up. The down side, as you mentioned, is that after a while I feel very drained and I often feel like I don’t have many true friends.