Quote:
Originally Posted by rcat
I winced the other day when my adult daughter referred to not having done something and she was obviously bitter about it. When she was a teenager I never took her and her siblings into the big city. During conversation a few days ago she mentioned how embarrassing and unfortunate that she had not been allowed to go to the malls or downtown like her peers did. It nearly broke my heart. The real truth was that my anxiety about going to the city made me panic stricken. I had not realized that something seemingly so innocuous had such a horrible impact.
|
How old is your "adult" daughter? I was diagnosed with bipolar when my daughter was six months old, so she was raised knowing Mom had "troubles with her brain" that made some things harder. My kid knew that sometimes we had to find quiet places and that sometimes I wasn't there at all when I should have been.
I have great guilt over the "should have beens" but they're over now. My kid is an adult, and I'm there for her as much as I can be. That's all I can do -- that's all you can do, now. Say you're sorry for the past, but there was a reason. Your child will accept it, or not.