My mother tried to hide her pain when I was little. It made me try to hide my pain too. I didn't want her to see me suffer or think that she was a bad parent. I was just diagnosed as bipolar. I wished she had let me in then. I would have done my best to help her. I would have also understood so much more about myself. Not only could I have been there for her earlier on in lifelong struggle of suffering, but I would have known why it also affected my sister and me. My mother is undiagnosed now, but we've made strides in our relationship since I've been diagnosed.