In fact, as soon as your teenager has a diagnosis, you can start feeling sorry for yourself because you're now the noble parent of sick offspring.
Having a bad day? Doesn't everyone? Now that you know your son or daughter is mentally ill, you don't have to feel guilty about losing your temper and taking it out on your child. You already have so much to deal with; everyone can understand that a child with mental illness is more difficult to parent than a healthy child. Nobody's perfect; you have to forgive yourself. You can't let your child's mental illness make you crazy.
Yes, the benefits of having your child diagnosed never seem to end. In addition to never feeling guilty or even trying to control your temper again, you know that your child will never have another bad day. No more having to ask if something happened, if your child is being bullied, if he or she has had a fight with a friend, or any of the other things that you thought you had to think about before you knew that your child doesn't have real feelings.
Sure, you should keep on eye on what he or she is doing, and if your child doesn't stop whatever it is that you don't like in a few days, you have the doctor's phone number to ask about more medication.
Who knew that responsible parenting could be so easy and fun? Don't forget to take care of yourself; being a caretaker for a mentally ill child takes a toll.
