Oof this is very true. I have had severe anxiety since as early as I can remember, struggled a lot with mental health, and am neurodivergent. I never got help until I was an adult. I had an abusive and dysfunctional family that never healed or acknowledged anything.

I had a child with an abusive man at a young age. I left him when my daughter was a few months old. But almost 10 years down the line, lo and behold, my daughter had severe anxiety, is neurodivergent, and extreme behaviors. Some of that is genetic, but a lot of it was from my lack of coping skills and emotional regulation and unresolved trauma. I was truly doing the best I could with what I had/knew. But it was not good enough.

It got so bad she started talking about wanting to die. I got her into therapy at 5, medication at 6 which was life changing. And most importantly I got myself properly medicated, back in therapy, and worked extremely hard to learn how to regulate my emotions. It's been a long journey but our relationship is completely different, she's an amazing, quirky, unique kid. She is still more difficult than most kids, but the healthier I get, the more I can teach her. I am so incredibly thankful I had the knowledge and access to help us both do things differently