I have a 3-1/2 year old daughter. I have both Bipolar II Disorder and Borderline Personality Disorder. I have been through hell and back, and I NEVER want my daughter to have to go through ANY of this crap, EVER!!!

So how do I parent her to prevent any mental problems based on her upbringing? I know they blame a lot of the cause of mental illness on how a person was raised in the early years. How do I do things right for her?

I feel like such a horrible mother. I've been a full-time working mom from the time she was 4 weeks old up until this January when I got fired from my job because of my mental illness (long story...no I can't sue). So she has been in daycare. We worked opposite shifts the first 2 years to avoid daycare, but since then she's been in full-time daycare. She loves her daycare provider like a grandma, and she loves playing with all the kids. She learns so much. Yet I still feel guilty for not being there for her all the time.

Now that I'm home with her 24/7 because I'm unemployed, I still feel like a horrible mother. She ends up watching WAY too much TV and I end up ignoring her while she plays alone and I do something else, like go online or study (I'm working on my CPA), or clean the house or cook something. I feel like I should be spending more time with her one-on-one. I feel like I should be teaching her little lessons about things.

She knows we love her, we say it all the time. I would never hurt her, nor allow anyone else to hurt her, ever. We give her a lot of attention - she is (and will likely remain) an only child of two loving parents.

Anyway...what do you think? How should I be parenting to ensure she grows up happy and healthy and mentally sound?