Endured lunch with my dad and his wife yesterday. Well, it wasn't too bad except that my dad (who has a history of dismissing whatever it is that I am doing) asked about my return to studying and my eventual return to school. And of course he waited until we were about to leave to ask me about it.
Dad, "So you are getting back to studying?"
Me, "Yes"
Dad, "Do you really like it or are you just trying to prove something?"

This is the extent of whatever asks about what I am doing. He has asked me a total of six times if I really enjoy this area of study, or has said "I don't know what you see in that!"

I have always had this problem with him where if he cannot relate to whatever the conversation is about than he completely shuts down. Which pisses me off. I listen to him go on about whatever he is interested in (just good manners).

I know my T has told me that I can't expect much from him. This is just how he is and I should look for support elsewhere. But it is hard to have him actually ask me what I'm up to, and then have him essentially put me down by looking at me like I'm nuts. It feels especially hard because I don't have much family. I've got him and his wife and my mom, who I can't talk to either for other reasons. Maybe I should really just let it go. It is so hard.

When I got home I actally wrote him an e-mail (yay therapy) telling him that if he was going to ask me about my interests then he couldn't ask me what I was trying to prove. I said that he could ask me about the subject, or what interested me about it but to please not look at me like I was some kind of freak. (The subect is science, not an unusual subject by any means).

He has said many other things in the past to put me down and I know that I'm simply getting triggered. But in the end, the message that I get is that he thinks I am too dumb. I'm finally at a place where I know this isn't true -- but I am just so sick of having him act this way toward me.