I asked my partner to leave when my Son was 18 months old. It was a scary time for everyone. I was quite young, and facing being a single parent was daunting. Soon after he left, Dad’s mental health deteriorated rapidly. He went to a pretty dark place and acute schizophrenia developed. Problems with drink developed, and as much as I wished he would visit somewhere like Abbeycare’s Bristol addiction clinic to rehabilitate, the problems only got worse as time went on.

Still feeling a sense of responsibility to Dad, I spent a lot of that time trying to get him the support he needed. This was a challenge, as Dad didn’t really accept he was ill. He would never have gone to rehab even if I asked. Some of that is still true today even though Dad is a lot more stable than he was.

Over the years I have been really concerned about the impact Dad’s mental health issues might have on my Son, and whether keeping contact with Dad was the right thing to do. I know what the easy thing to do would have been, well the easy thing for me anyway.

I’ve had lots of worries about this issue. Would being around his Dad increase the chances of my Son having mental health issues in the future? Will he learn some of Dad’s behaviours? Will he get bullied because of his Dad? Will my Son cope with it all, will he blame himself?

I soon realised that the concerns I had around keeping Dad in my Son’s life were very similar to the ones I had about my son not seeing his Dad at all. I also realised that it wasn’t really my decision to make.

Over the years I have been very honest with my Son about his Dad’s mental health issues. There have been times when Dad has been too ill to have a relationship with his Son. Sometimes my Son needs a break from his Dad, but then like most normal teenagers, he wants to spend as little time with his parents as possible!

Divorce and separations could be hard on kids, as it was on my son, but it’s important to consider everyone’s mental health while taking such decisions. A couple living together, when having serious disputes could lead to a severe impact on a child. And to resolve the issues, a couple might choose to go for counseling or divorce. You might have to hire a family lawyer like ones available at Eatons or similar, to assist you. Such solicitors can provide solid legal ground and help with finance distribution and child custody. These circumstances can also effect my son’s future, lifestyle and his perspective towards relationships.

I might have started looking into some insurance policies and other financial aids like retirement plans, for the future. With the growing age, there could be lots of things to consider for my son. One such plan – I might be invested in – is LIRP (life insurance retirement plan). It has many benefits including, access to cash at any age, which could be valuable. (Learn about life insurance for retirement planning here.)

I strive to provide a safe environment for my Son as I possibly can. I also might be trying to make his future secure. I haven’t included Dad in some things like parents’ evening and going to watch the basketball matches, so my Son doesn’t get bullied about it.

I’ve looked for positive male influences for my son, and Basketball has been great for that. The coaches are amazing, and the sport is brimming with bromance. My Son has people he can talk to if he needs to. He chooses when he want to see his Dad now, and sometimes he chooses not to, and that’s ok.

My Son understands his Dad’s mental health issues, and he doesn’t blame himself. My Son cares about his Dad. My Son is a kind, compassionate and thoughtful young adult, and I think the relationship he has with his Dad has helped that. Did I do the right thing? I think so. But it was hard, and still is, and it will probably continue to be.

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24 COMMENTS

  1. I agree with Abbie, you’ve answered your question and it sounds as though your son is very understanding and comfortable with it. Well done you for navigating your way (and your son’s) through a challenging time. x

  2. You have done the right thing. Talking openly to your son about it all is a fantastic thing to do. If you had kept it a secret or refused to discuss it, things might have turned out differently, in my opinion. You sound like you have done a fantastic job with your son.

  3. It sounds like your son is growing into a very considerate and mature young man. Your openess and honesty about the situation must have been the right move.

  4. It must have been such a dificult desition to make! I think you did the right thing, you gave your son the opportunity to get to know his dad and develop a relationship with him. But you allowed him to have enough space to feel safe and free, also.

  5. Family secrets are the worst. By being open the pain of the situation is greatly reduced. I went to school with a boy whose mother had mental health problems and lived with a foster mother. As he was always made aware of her situation and was allowed access to her he was able to talk to us about her and receive our support. Kids are more willing to talk about what they know rather than what they don’t.

  6. I think you have answered your own question and made the right decision for all of you. Great job darling xxxx

  7. I can not imagine how hard the decision must be, but as someone who has a mental health issue, I am glad for the decision you made. Your son will be much more understanding and compassionate for it too

  8. Sounds like you have done a good job in difficult circumstances, and that your son benefits from understanding the situation by having a relationship with his Dad and by having greater compassion and understanding of mental health problems. Well done you.

  9. It sounds as though you navigated a tricky path with maturity and compassion. No-one’s life is a perfect existence and often the children who grasp that earlier grow into more tenacious and open-minded adults than those who were shielded from reality for as long as possible.

  10. It sounds like you’ve had to make some tough decisions as a mum but they if they felt right at the time then they probably were the right choices! xx

  11. I think you are doing an amazing job. Your son sounds like a very sensible, mature young man who you have allowed to have a honest relationship with his dad when the easier option would have been to cut contact. You should be very proud of yourself and your son for taking this course of action. x

  12. Sounds like an awful predicament to find yourself in but i think you answered your own question. You are doing everything right by your son and he is thriving because of it! xxx

  13. you 100% done the right thing. Had you not told him the situation, your son could have resented you. At least he know, understands and can make his own decision. x

  14. Sounds like you are responsible for raising a very mature son, who as a result of you, will have amazing emotional intelligence, which isn’t nearly as common as it should be.
    I hope he’s proud of you one day, as you so deserve it.
    Such compassion in this heart warming post xx

  15. Your son sounds like a very sensible young man. You did what you had to do at the time.

  16. I think children exposed to this sort of issue have far more empathy than those that are never faced with a challenge. Sounds like you should be very proud of your young man

  17. Gosh, what difficult decisions to make. You can only go with your heart and as long as you do everything with your son’s best interests then you can’t go wrong. Good luck with everything.

  18. Sometimes it is more difficult to do the right thing as in your case. and having first hand experience of having a close relative who suffers from schizophrenia I know what an incredibly hard illness it is to live with and witness. You put your son before yourself and took a very hard path what a great Mum xx

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