My DS, his ex-wife, my six year old GS and I live on the same property in two separate dwellings so there are both private and shared spaces. DS is clinically depressed and has periodic episodes of deep lethargy but overall manages his condition pretty well. He is medicated and his meds are managed by a psychiatrist. He often tells DGS he has a headache when he’s “down” - but frankly he often gets real headaches as well. My GS knows nothing about his depression but has once in awhile asked me why Daddy gets so many headaches. I’ve told DS this and suggested he speak to DGS but he hasn’t and said he doesn’t quite know how to explain why he gets headaches. My ex-DIL told me that she heard DGS tell a teacher during an online class that his dad gets a lot of headaches and lies down a lot; she was concerned about this and said she thinks that he needs to be spoken to by his dad. I am struggling with this. I believe that DS’s condition is real and since I worked as a psychologist I believe in parity between mental and physical illness - it wouldn’t be odd or embarrassing for a child to tell his teacher that his mom is a diabetic, for example and talk about what that entails. I am concerned however that DGS will attribute different reasons for his dad’s behavior since young children often come up with strange explanations for things they don’t understand and that concern them. What do you think?!
Good Morning Thursday 23rd April 2026
