Sweet-Holiday I matured because I had to. My parents did nothing to help my stuttering and treated me badly after I began to shutter at the age of 4-5. I believed they valued me so little that they allowed me to be groomed and molested by a family friend. Before you feel too sorry for me, I married a wonderful professional man who was never ashamed that I stuttered and presented myself proudly socially, and we were married for 54 years. At the age of 70, I dealt with my stuttering, caused by childhood abuse, through psychotherapy. You relate that you matured sooner because you toughened up, perhaps because you had to, also. For whatever reason, our personalities were more resilient than others. Go forth and conquer, my friend. 😺Sue