So, not a funny story or anything, but about flirting:
When I was a kid most of my friends were boys. I never went through the "cooties" stage like a lot of the girls around me did, and I never really made a distinction in how I acted towards the genders. I was open, and honest, and friendly to everyone I spoke to. This went on until I was fifteen, where I was taken aside by my mum and told that people were getting the wrong idea about me- that I was flirting too much with all the boys. People were talking!

This confused the hell out of me. I don't "flirt" at all- I don't really know how- I just like to be friendly. It never occurred to me that anyone would misunderstand that. It also never occurred to me that being friendly was a bad thing. Because I was suddenly under close parental observation, I became incredibly introverted and hardly spoke to anyone. I still can't flirt, but I've now started treating people in exactly the same way I did as a child. Whether or not they "read into" what I'm saying is up to them, as I honestly don't care.

In the five years or so when I was in an embarrassed shell, I lost friendships, didn't make friends with people who I now speak to socially, and generally felt miserable.

So, about flirting: Sometimes when someone's being friendly, they really just want to be friends. Just sayin'.
(Sivvus trolley collision in the fruit aisle led to a jam, Thu 18 Feb 2010, 16:30, 2 replies)

YES
I have this problem as well.
( cakelady, Thu 18 Feb 2010, 16:41, closed)

Glad I'm not the only one!
:-)
(Sivvus trolley collision in the fruit aisle led to a jam, Thu 18 Feb 2010, 16:52, closed)