My daughter gets upset with me b/c....?!

My daughter gets upset with me b/c....?

she said one minute i am happy the next minute im angry and she said she doesnt understand why im like that,i told her its called bipolar,how can i help her understand??

My heart goes out to you for several reasons. The biggest is because I am in the same boat you are. I too am bipolar and am the mother of two. A teenage boy and a nine year old girl. I have recently had to explain this to my son. It wasn't an easy task, I must say. I did do a ton of research and found some simple ways to compare and bring things down to his level a bit. It is overwhelming for me so I could only imagine how it might feel for him to understand. Depending on your exact case - my own bipolar is a bit different than the text book case as my moods swing from one level being ok / mondane / so-so to absolutely angry and fuming rather than happy and elated to depressed - I would try to find examples or things to compare with while talking to your daughter. Keep her age in mind (as I am sure you will), too. Use the image of a pendalum or a teeter totter and explain to her that there is sometimes - unfortunately - no middle ground with Mommy. Some people have middle parts to their moods or emotions (when they aren't really really happy but they aren't exactly angry; they are just in the middle) but Mommy doesn't really have a middle. There is no gray when it comes to Mommy's moods. There is black and there is white (black being angry and white being happy). Tell her that the medications help keep Mommy "white" or even in a gray area and out of the black area. Make charts together, have signals the two of you can secretly share when she thinks you are overreacting or perhaps when Mommy might need a time out ... let her be as active in your treatment as she can possibly be. Whatever you do, don't keep it a secret or let her see any shame in your bipolar. You must always know that this makes you no less of a mother, no less of a woman, and no less an active part of your family. It is a disease just as any other and can be helped and treated. There should be no shame here; however you should probably make sure it is kept in the family at this point so that if there are any questions left in your daughter's mind, she won't confuse anything and talk to someone who might misconscrew things or who have their own misunderstandings about being bipolar. (I hope that made sense!) There are several places online you can go to for answers regarding help with talking to different family members and I would suggest doing a bit of research to find just the right one for your family, for you and your daughter. Personally, I was afraid my children and my husband might view me as weak or even a bit on the crazy side and that was my main concern. However, they are very helpful, they were very receptive, and we do have our own secret "signals" for Mommy when she does get a bit irrate and tends to start going overboard. Simple hand signals that don't call attention to any of us and let me know that I am getting a bit loud, getting a bit angry maybe over something little, or just a bit unruly ... they really help.

I wish you luck in this endeavor. My heart goes out to you as I know how difficult this can be. Do keep me posted please.