Depression

 I was not sure what was going on with my mom. She was not herself. My mom was always the fun mom. My friends loved coming to my house because she made the best chocolate chip cookies and would even let us bake with her. She would pack my lunch every day and drive me to school while singing along to the radio in her funny voice. 

After my younger sister was born Mom wasn’t the same. Maybe she was just tired….I knew she wasn’t sleeping at night. One day I looked at my mom and I did not recognize her anymore. When I asked her what was wrong she turned it on me. She said that now that I was a teenager I was rude and didn’t listen to her anymore. She was always telling me off for something, so I just tuned her out.

I was afraid to say anything to my dad or sisters. They didn’t say anything to me. What if it was just me? Maybe she’s right. I’m a teenager now. Everyone knows teenagers fight with their parents. It's normal.

Normal. I don’t think it’s normal to stay in bed all day. I know it’s not normal that my mom couldn’t come to my 16th birthday. She was planning to come. She bought herself a new dress when I got mine. She was excited to try the new bakery that we ordered a cake from. I’m just not sure why she wasn’t there. When I asked her if she was ready she just looked up at me sadly and said she had a headache.

One day I decided to just ask my Dad. I couldn’t stand the atmosphere in the house. My Dad’s reaction shocked me. He started crying. He told me that my Mom was suffering from depression and had started therapy. After many discussions and explanations, I realized that we had a long road ahead of us, but by being open and honest I feel like we will get through this together and come out stronger and closer than we were.