Thanks for your reply
I want to apologise. When I said PDs can be devastating I was thinking about Alice and the sort of person she is, and believing that at least some of what makes her her is due to NPD.
But I’m actually realising how offensive and upsetting my comment is given that there are friends here with personality disorder. It’s not something that has a universal outcome in people’s personalities and behaviours, and when I called it devastating I didn’t really think about the impact that could have if read by someone with that diagnosis who is doing their absolute best to live with it and take an active role in managing it!
That’s the difference: Alice refuses to see she’s the problem, while some people with a PD diagnosis say ‘right, okay, so what can I do about this?’. I have so much respect for that.
You know, so, so many amazing parents battle their own problems or mental health difficulties, and it doesn’t make them bad parents. In some ways it’s the opposite. One thing that made us hesitate when considering trying was that we both have episodic depression, a family history on one side of addiction and personality disorders on the other. My spouse worried we’d be knowingly conceiving a baby likely to experience the same issues as us and our families.
I understood that, but see it a bit differently. We both have tried our absolute hardest during the dark times to keep going and improve how we feel and get treatment, and given that a huge percentage of people will develop a diagnosable MH issue a) it could happen regardless of family history, and b) if it does, who better to parent and guide that child but us? With our lived experience, compassion and bag full of tools?
Parenting absolutely isn’t for everyone (I’m such a huge supporter of people who are childfree!) but if you do decide one day to try for a child and are able to welcome one into your life you seem so introspective and compassionate, I feel you’d know when the right time is and know what to work on to ensure you give it your best shot
So much of toddler raising at least is about healthy communication, empathy, modelling, reflecting and boundaries, so if you work on or possess those you’ll be golden. I spend so much of my day reflecting ‘you feel frustrated honey, because mummy wouldn’t let you snatch her snack off her! Is that right? It’s okay to be frustrated sweetheart, snatching isn’t okay, we can work together to help you figure out how to feel better’ or just simply sitting lovingly with my child with the emotion while it surges and passes. They say the hardest part of being a parent is regulating your own emotions, and I totally get that haha. It’s really good practise at emotional regulation for sure. Taking deep, calming breaths and mentally taking a step back when your toddler has been getting on your last nerve for the past four hours straight instead of snapping. It’s a wild ride!