My son is depressed. I've spent years telling him that he doesn't need to be down because we have such a good life. I've often felt as though maybe it was the circumstances that brought on the depression. He is small for his age and often bullied for it, he lives with myself and his sister which he thinks is TERRIBLE. But he is the class clown. He can make anyone smile. He goes out of his way to make others laugh and to make them feel better if they are down. He's a natural entertainer who does acrobatics, impersonations, and tells imaginative stories to gain the attention of anyone within ear shot or view.
I just moved him across the country to be in a warmer climate that is closer to my family. I've bought him everything that I've known he's wished for as a reward for his helpfulness around the house, within reason. He has had to start yet another school as the new kid, which he always looks forward to until it happens and he realizes he has to start over. Understandably.
I believe in following open doors, within reason. And every door where we used to live closed, as every door to move closer to my family opened up. But this meant moving a child who was depressed across the country, into a new school, and into a new family dynamic that he didn't know. I wasn't prepared for this. And now he's lower than he's ever been and I'm not grounded in our new home yet enough to be the rock he needs.
I'm having to come to terms with the fact that nothing I do can change that and telling him he's got it good is only making him feel guilty for being depressed. Mental illness has crept into my family and I've never felt more helpless as a parent.
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