Anyone schizoaffective and parenting? Any tips?
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work out, get a Nordic Track or treadmill.
Do it religiously around your kids. Let them see it.
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I have 6 kids. 5 at home still.
My kids know I have mental illness and that it isnāt their fault if I act weird or act angry. I try to make sure to let everyone know when I am on edgeā¦āmom is having a hard time right nowā or āI canāt deal with too much right nowā
You have to remember that kids are kids. Even when you donāt feel well they have normal kid needs and it is ok and good to expect their other parent to step in and help.
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Show lots of love. Let them see your mistakes. Be honest about your diagnosis depending on their age. Remember itās better to have a place that has lots of freedom and a bit.of a mess than have a perfect house and kids who are afraid of doing anything. Donāt let anyone doubt your ability to be a great mom. Encourage them to do their best at school. Please please donāt yell at them.
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I have five young ones. Sometimes I need to take a break from them and will go into the other room for a little bit to have a break and do something that I enjoy, like reading. Itās really hard to do, but important to take some time for yourself. I am a stay at home mom and school them, so I am with them 24/7. I donāt have a perfectly clean house and sometimes they watch tv so I can have some time to myself. When my husband comes home from work he will help me out. Itās always good to have a supportive partner. I think that is key. My children know when I am not feeling well. I have supportive family who will take the kids when I am really in trouble mentally and my doctor says I need to be alone. I have alot of help and I am blessed.
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Mr. Star and I are getting ready to become foster parents. Iām following this to read all the advice. Thanks to all the parents on this forum for sharing your stories!
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Thatās awesome! I was adopted and so were my siblings, so I am a huge supporter of fostering and adoption.
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Whoās to say a lot of parents werenāt MI,
but just not Dxād?
The kids always knew.
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These are all really helpful. Thank you!
My children are very young, too young to understand. I try to act as normal as possible around them and find an outlet for any negative feelings through exercise/activities with the eldest. I also make sure I have a proper adult conversation every day (I find that goes a long way!)
When theyāre older I will be honest but will likely still try to not show my reactions to symptoms in front of them.
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I do. I try not to tell the kids about anything that freaks me out. Iām paranoid but I donāt tell the kids what about. When my 18 year old was growing up and Iād go to the hospital Iād tell her not to visit because I was sick and contagious. Now she knows. But I didnāt tell her until she graduated high school. My 13 year old stepdaughter only knows about my ptsd. And I plan on keeping it that way. My older stepdaughter who is 24 knows I have ptsd, but I didnāt tell her about sz. My goal is to not tell the kids when Iām freaking out so they donāt become fearful of life. I want them to grow up as normally as possible.
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My kids are very young. I try and keep it from them, too. Iāve been hospitalized three times since they were born, and I take medication. They also come with me to counseling from to time. But they do not know what I struggle with.
Itās beautiful to me to read that so many of you parent in the midst of struggling. I want to do it well.
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Have you had someone else pick up your kids from you to help out?
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Have you hallucinated in front of your kids?
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In mania, the kids and I are out all day. We visit many people, and we do many activities. What do you do?
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In depression, we still go out. But at home I am less engaging. This makes my heart so sad. What do you do?
I once sent my daughter to my moms house in another state because I was suicidal. I donāt know if Iāve hallucinated in front of her or my step kids. I donāt get mania.
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Okay. Iām glad you have support.
I can relate. The hard part for me is when I am hospitalized for MI. More than anything, I miss my kids. Even though I have tried to explain my condition to them, I donāt think they fully understand.
I miss them, too, during those times.
I think one day they will understand.
I have psychosis and mood issues but no clear diagnosis.
I became ill after having my son (now 7) and had loads of unstable times during his toddler years. I decided for him to live with my parents. I do see him often, several times a week. His dad is not involved. I do (always?) feel scared of relapsing around him. I did the first 2 times, because it was unexpected, which was scary. Now I monitor my symptoms and when Iām a little unstable, I visit him at my parents house, am not alone with him. When Iām depressed, my parents do more with him and I less. I donāt have real mania, just a bit of hypomania perhaps, which isnāt bad.
My son is happy overall, but does have his moments where he finds it hard. He for example notices I sleep more when Iām depressed, I am more grumpy and I donāt play with him a lot at such times. Also, he wants me to live with them.
I have a child psychologist involved for ages. We ask her for advice. My son also just spoke to her and me. We explained in childrenās language our situation, that I love him despite my own issues and that itās not his fault. Also he could express there how he felt, in drawings and talking.
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It sounds like you work very hard and do so much for your son to know you love and care about him and his well-being! Thank you for sharing!
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My great grandmother was institutionalized around 1910 after my grandmother was born.
They called it āMelancholyā on her death certificate.
Knowing this- no one ever tride to hide this info from me-
I think itās important that kids know their familys medical history-
I think it helped me understand myself more after being Dxād.
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