Moving on from Parenting a Child with Mental Illness

Hiya readers. Moving can be a challenge. It can stress you out. It is hard to leave something behind and scary to face a different future. At some point, all of us - parents and children - go through this. For kids, it can be moving on from one grade to another, one classroom to another or even from one subject to another. For parents, it can be moving on from one job to another or from being a parent to parenting a child with mental illness. Transitions are hard, but they happen to all of us.

Moving On for Yourself

While endings do bring on sad or scary feelings, they can also bring wonderful feelings of excitement about the future. Parenting a child with mental illness doesn't always lend itself to positive feelings simply because of the challenges involved. For some parents change isn't always a positive thing. Mental illness does that. It can keep life from being simple or even tolerable. But, a positive outlook when moving on and making a transition can make things easier to manage.

Moving On for Myself

It is with this message that I share that I'm moving on from Life with Bob. Blogging here for over a year has taught me so much. I've learned about resilience in families, strength of people and the vulnerability of the human spirit. I've also learned a great deal about my own struggles parenting a child with mental illness. Writing here has allowed me to share my insights (as a therapist), but also celebrate Bob. Not only have I learned from the process of writing, I've also learned from the wonderful comments and stories shared. I'm truly honored to have written here for you, but more so for engaging in a conversation about the difficulties and joys of parenting a child with mental illness. I thank you for allowing my to share my story, both as a parent and a therapist.

I wish you the best and please remember your own strength. Know that you are the expert on your child and that you can help. Be willing to open up to professionals in the field who can help guide you and your child to success. Though this is me moving on, it isn't goodbye.

You can find me over at my website, on Twitter or on Google Plus. Take care and I wish you all the best.

With love,

Heiddi and Bob xoxo

Photo credit: symphony of love via photopin cc