Having a bipolar child can be a challenge, but you can be thankful that at least you received the diagnosis. Only recently has childhood bipolar disorder been diagnosed in anything but the most severe cases. Standard parenting techniques don’t apply to children with bipolar disorder, as these children can be quite a handful for the average parent. Here are three tips to control your bipolar child’s behaviors.
It is sometimes wrong to punish
You have to be able to recognize the difference between your child being rebellious, and simply not able to complete the task at hand. For example, if you ask your child to clean their room and they are suffering from severe depression, they may not have the energy to get out of bed, much less clean their room.
Other times, however they may have adequate energy and are simply testing you. It is important to know the difference between bad behavior and mood episodes, or you will only succeed in confusing your bipolar child with your disciplinary techniques. There is no standard rulebook on how to tell the difference, so pay attention to your child in order to get a feel for their moods and behaviors.
Blame the Bipolar Not the Child
The blame game is always easy to play. Blaming your child for behaviors that they cannot control will only worsen their illness and make it more difficult for them to control their behaviors. Be sure to set limits, but realize that is not always possible for a bipolar child to control their behaviors, as they are too young to learn how to control their emotions.
Bad Parenting Skills
It is common for parents to blame themselves for the bipolar disorder of their child. It is true that abuse can trigger bipolar disorder and children, however, this only occurs in a minority of cases. Most bipolar children have a strong genetic component to this mental illness, which does not need to be triggered to take effect. You cannot blame bad parenting skills for a mental illness.