@gondwanalon You did what every child would do—seek attention. Attention when we are children is not just some selfish thing, it is physically and emotionally necessary. It is like eating and sleeping. You probably know that babies need to be held a certain amount or they have serious problems. Young children need a certain amount of physical touch and emotional attention too. Even adults show positive health responses to touch or even having a pet to pet. Our blood pressure goes down, our heart rate gets better. Being in isolation is a mental torture practically for all ages, it really can make some people insane. As a child we need emotional attention from adults who nurture us. Severe neglect is considered abuse. I’m not saying you were severely neglected, but certainly you were trying to get what the human body needs to be healthy. Just like when a baby cries when they are hungry, because they can’t talk yet, you were trying to figure out how to behave to get what you needed with your 6 year old capabilities.
So, it sounds like you went from being the bad kid to being the extremely good kid, and both are just the flip sides of the same thing.
Were you the youngest child?
I also have a warning, if you never raise your voice and you avoid conflict, just make sure you are not passive aggressive also, I am not assuming you are, you might work out things very well with your spouse and others, but I just thought I would mention it.