Every family has its labels. There’s the “responsible one,” the “troublemaker,” the “baby,” the “ shy one.” These roles aren’t always written down, but they get handed out and reinforced in countless small ways: the jokes at family dinners, the stories told at holiday gatherings, the nicknames that stick long after they’re funny.

In my family, I was the “koala bear.” Not because I loved animals, but because I clung to my mom—literally. If there was a preschool event or a birthday party, there I was, wrapped around her leg, reluctant to let go. The nickname was meant affectionately, but it carried weight. It became shorthand for “shy, clingy, anxious .” Even as I grew older, that image of me as the koala bear was repeated in family stories.

The thing is, those early roles often linger

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