I have a feeling I had a similar childhood to you (strict/smothering).

I also find it problematical to deal with people who live 'normal/standard' lives who are not curious about the world and how everything works. Being put in a conversation talking about sports, gossip, celebrities is intolerable for me.

I've come to accept (and I think some people here may resonate with) that this is can be a blessing or good filtering mechanism.