How to make up with my daughters after periods of bipolar depression: [I Bipolar]

Is there more I can do to apologize to them?

My story:

I recently had a bipolar manic high that put me into the hospital for a month. This is my first incident since I was first diagnosed 20 yrs ago. Just the perfect storm of quarantine, lose of income, getting my car repossessed.

My daughters 15 & 12 and my son 10 were traumatized.

So as my kids were put in therapy with their mom (my ex wife) my daughters. put together over the years how sick I have been.

During the year I would have depressive episodes ( mania wasn't much of an issue) and my daughters said they were really angry for the times I was in bed most of the day and they had to take care of themselves.

I thought it was good enough when I told them "Dad's feeling low, I'm gonna sleep in today til afternoon" but it wasn't and I was wrong to treat them this way.

They are so angry and now they stopped living with me...after being at my place for 7 years for 3-4days week.

This is what I have been saying:

[b]"I'm sorry for lying to you when I was depressed and making you look after yourselves when you were just kids. I take responsibility for the pain this caused. Can you forgive me and trust me again?"[/b]

As kids they dont care I was mentally depressed, they just know they were hurt.

Help? its been 2 months now

HootyTheNightOwl

Just how much do they know about your bipolar disorder and the way that it affects you???

They are at an age now, where they need to learn about it and you are going to have to open up to them so that they can understand what it's like for you on the inside, at the same time as accepting your part in the pain that they are feeling. It may be worth reassuring them that nothing that happened was their fault and that there was nothing they could do to prevent it.

They may also feel reassured if you sit down together and plan out what you will all do in the event that this happens again. If you have a plan as a family and each person plays their part in ensuring that you get the help that you need and they know to ring this trusted adult.

Since they are in therapy right now, are you able to be involved with that and talk it through with the therapists that they are seeing? They may be able to help you to get the ball rolling on all that.