Coming out to my parents was especially hard for me, because I had to tell them three things: 1. I was pagan, 2. I was engaged to a woman (when I am also female,) and 3. I was not the only person living in my head. They didn't take it very well. In fact, not taking it very well is an understatement, but reguardless of how bad they took it, they *did* recover, albeit a few years later, and now they are beginning to respect me for the choices I've made. It's been a long, hard battle, and heinsight being 20-20, I'd have never told dad I was gay. He took everything else relatively well, but blames all my medical problems on God's wrath over my homosexuality.
Most people can't understand multiplicity, but when I explain to them what it is like to be multiple, they like it, at least in concept. Usually I try to explain by comparing multiplicity to things people do understand, like watching a movie with the commentary on, or having a no-budget college film running in the back of your head all the time. The more you can relate multiplicity to normal events, or things that singletons will experience in day-to-day life, the easier it is for them to understand, and understanding is the first step on the road to accepting.
Also, I have found, that if the person you tell can relate and get along with the first "other" that he meets, this helps the person you tell to accept it sooner. Nomatter how well-meaning, or excited someone in headspace is to meet the person I'm telling, some people just cannot accept or deal with certain members of my system. It's hard to introduce people to Himmler without it coming out something like this, "Himmler's a really nice guy who did a lot of horrible things and killed about 6 million Jews, but he's better now." Not the best first impression. Some of my less coherant members, along with "broken" ones are not allowed to talk to those I just outed myself to either. It makes it easier to take it slow and save the oddballs for last.
coming out
Most people can't understand multiplicity, but when I explain to them what it is like to be multiple, they like it, at least in concept. Usually I try to explain by comparing multiplicity to things people do understand, like watching a movie with the commentary on, or having a no-budget college film running in the back of your head all the time. The more you can relate multiplicity to normal events, or things that singletons will experience in day-to-day life, the easier it is for them to understand, and understanding is the first step on the road to accepting.
Also, I have found, that if the person you tell can relate and get along with the first "other" that he meets, this helps the person you tell to accept it sooner. Nomatter how well-meaning, or excited someone in headspace is to meet the person I'm telling, some people just cannot accept or deal with certain members of my system. It's hard to introduce people to Himmler without it coming out something like this, "Himmler's a really nice guy who did a lot of horrible things and killed about 6 million Jews, but he's better now." Not the best first impression. Some of my less coherant members, along with "broken" ones are not allowed to talk to those I just outed myself to either. It makes it easier to take it slow and save the oddballs for last.