Hidden Within the Walls

Dear Bio-Mom, I remember the first time that I met you. C2 was 18 months old. C1 and I had been friends for years but had only been dating for a few months. At the time, you and C1 were embattled in a tumultuous divorce (one that went on for 2 years too long). At that point, I had only received one side of the larger story but HIS side of the story is where I made my investment. I am not a fool, I know that both of you did things and said things that were not "becoming" of responsible or respectful human beings...but a few moments in time shouldn't define a lifetime...and I saw something in C1 that you didn't. The honest truth was, I really had no clue what I was doing. Up until that point, I had led a fairly naïve existence. I was stepping my size 8 1/2 foot into a situation that I was not equipped to handle. Marrying C1 meant that I also married his baggage and YOU were a huge part of that baggage and so was this tiny little human that shared both of your ...

The truth is that we are ALL susceptible to mental health issues. For some of us, it is part of our genetic make up, something we are born with and are constantly aware of. Our frame of reference may be that of a bi-polar parent and with that reference in mind, we move through our life cautiously, paying attention to every overly anxious or depressed moment trying not to be like " those who came before us ". For others, mental health issues may manifest themselves after traumatic events. It's our body's way of reminding us that the " past was real ", it's almost a "defense mechanism" or your brains way of building walls to protect you from ongoing trauma or helping to protect you from the past ever happening again... For some, it was NEVER part of their " original genetic design ", but maybe birth mom suffered from addictions to a despairing extent that we cannot understand, or she selfishly made conscious efforts to eliminat...