If I were you, I wouldn't lay the responsibility of the BP knowledge on a five year old. She can know you were sick and in the hospital without knowing the specifics. My youngest is five, and there's no way she could possibly understand enough about not only the disease but about the stigma and any of the other related issues. If you don't want her to tell her entire class, then don't tell her yet. Because she will. Or she'll tell only her best friend. And next week when her best friend dumps her for another best friend, there it goes.

My kids know I have a condition and take medication so I don't have to go back into the hospital. Someday they'll have a name for the condition and some of the ramifications of that. They'll never know everything I've dealt with and done because of the disorder, but they'll certainly know how it affects the trajectory of their lives. They'll know what signs and symptoms they can be on the lookout for in their lives, even after they're gone from under the care of me and my wife. They'll also know more about the stigma of mental illness, and that they need to approach the subject with an open mind.

But not today. They're not ready to handle that information yet, and they're still developing their skill and ability to use discretion when talking about certain subjects.

If I handed the "Dad's BP" weapon to my five-year-old, it would be both a guaranteed megaphone to the world about my condition, and something that could cause her great harm when kids wanted to pick on her and her family. It's a guaranteed way that others (peers, teachers, and anyone else) could ostracize her and/or treat her differently because of something that is uncontrollable in me. There is exactly the same stigma today about MI that there was about cancer 50 years ago. That cancer stigma has by and large been broken, but it has taken an entire world shift to make that happen.

All that being said, we do teach our kids about mental illness and a lot of what it means. We've taught them to respect others regardless of handicap, disability, diagnosis, looks, lifestyle, gender, political leanings, and pretty much everything else. They're well aware of the world around them and are incredibly caring people.

Good luck with whatever you decide regarding when to disclose to your daughter. If you do it now, let us know how it goes.