I started following another blog that is intriguing and thought provoking. Below is his post of questions from his daughter. His mental illness challenges are different than mine. As I read the propose questions, I started wondering how would I answer these questions to my adult children? I asked Kevin's permission to use his list here. Where the questions use the word Dad, I will switch those to Mom otherwise these are the questions I plan to tackle.
http://voicesofglass.wordpress.com/2014/09/12/questions-to-a-parent-with-mental-illness-a-new-challenge/
So over the next month I am going to be doing the “Questions to a parent with mental illness” Challenge and here are a list of the questions which my daughter came up with…
- Am I part of the cause of your mental illness?
- Is mental illness hereditary?
- Do I make your mental health worse?
- When your mental health is bad, what can I do to help?
- When your mental health is bad do you try to protect me from it, and why?
- Why do you pull away and isolate from me, when your mental health is bad?
- What positives do you think your mental illness brings to our relationship?
- Tell me one thing that I do which makes your mental health better?
- Tell me one thing that I do which makes your mental health worse?
- If you had to choose just one of your mental health conditions which I would experience for a day. Which one would you choose, and why?
- Do you find it difficult to talk to me about your mental health, and if so why?
- How do you think your mental health effects our family now?
- Ho do you think your mental health effected our family in the past?
- How do you think your mental health will effect our family in the future?
- Choose one thing that you would change about your mental health if you could. And why?
- Which of your traits and personality would you like to pass on to me and why?
- Which of your traits and personality would you like me to avoid having and why?
- To me you are just my Dad, but how do you think others see you?
- What parts of your mental health do you think I would like to change, and why?
- I sometimes hear others putting labels on you. How does that make you feel?
- What are some of the things that you do which affect your mental health badly?
- What are some of the things that you do which affect your mental health positively?
- If I was the one who had your mental illness, and not you. What would you want to ask me?
- If I was the one who had your mental illness, and not you. What would you want me to know?
- How do you think your mental illness affects the way you love me?
- How do you think your mental illness affects the way I love you?
- How do you think your mental illness affects the way you allow me to love you?
- Do you think you will ever have really good mental health?
- Do you sometimes feel guilty for having a mental illness?
- If there was one thing that you would have me learn from your battle with mental illness, what would it be?
I think some of these questions would be thought provoking for any parent with or without mental illness. I plan to put a link to each of his posts so you can read two different perspectives.
Grandchildren look so much like my children did when they were that age. |
2 comments:
Hi,
I really hope that you find this challenge as rewarding as I am.
And many thanks for your kind words.
Kind regards and God bless you
Kevin.
I am finding it rewarding and challenging. Also healing and encouraging. I think your answers are beautiful.
Thank you,
Ruth
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