why is family support so difficult when it comes to poker?
I agree family (and friends) can be difficult. It might be possible to ease this friction if you can find a way to make a relationship to something your family (or friend) understands.
Myself, I used the stock market. I explained that the stock market is a form of
gambling. Like poker, the stock market relies on making mathematical predictions. Stock market is also swingy and there are not any guarantees. Once I used the stock market example my family started looking at poker differently and are very supportive.
Maybe some other CardsChat members can respond with their approaches to give you more ideas to ease this pain.