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| Sun, 02-18-2007 - 12:53pm |
How do you explain to your kids about your disorder and what triggers "episodes"? My DH is getting it, barely...but my kids....just think I'm "crazy in the head".....
TIA
Nessa


Hi Nessa,
I havent read this book but I have heard great reviews of this author and it was one of the few books I have heard of for very young children about parents with mental illnesses.
Its called "Sometimes my mommy gets angry" by Bebe Moore Campbell
My kids are four and six and just now understand that its not their fault but it still frustrates them alot. I tell them constantly that its something that I go to the doctor and get medicine for and sometimes the medicine doesnt work...so they blame the faulty medicine instead of me or themselves. My 8 year old everytime I get angry or upset with him, he says "stupid medicine...shes always yelling at me for no reason"....so he doesnt blame me or himself which has really helped things I think. I know your babies are alot younger so maybe this book will help and just constantly tell them you love them and know that they are still young and if you do your best to get help now, they wont remember any of this. I was unmedicated when my kids were the ages yours are now, and they dont remember any of it. So dont lose hope and know that in the end, they will always love you no matter what you did or didnt do. Just try to be the best parent you can and reassure yourself that no one is perfect and you dont have to live up to anyone elses standards of parenthood. Just do YOUR best and your kids will love you more when they are older and do understand, like adult age, because they will see how hard you struggled to try to be the best mom you could and how hard it was for you.
It will be okay and they will be okay and so will you
Rebekah
OMG I am so sorry, my kids are six and eight, they were four and six when I got on meds. I had a serious brain fart for a minute :)
Rebekah
My daughter was older when I was dx'd, but I learned shortly after her birth that her father (with whom she had no contact) was schizophrenic and determined it wasn't going to be a secret.