Hi,<\/p>\n
You know, lately I\u2019ve been thinking a lot about choices. It\u2019s because I\u2019ve been helping a friend of mine. She\u2019s a single mom. And she had her daughter when she was a teenager. She doesn\u2019t regret having her daughter, because she loves her very much. But she does regret having had sex at such a young age. She does feel that was a bad choice that she made, and that she should have made a better one. See\u2026You could kind of look at it like that we\u2019re made up of the choices that we make. Because every choice we make affects our future. And even as we can enjoy the results of good choices that we make, we have to pay consequences for bad choices that we make as well. What about you? Do you have any regrets? Have you made any bad choices in your past? I think we all have. Like when we\u2019re young and impulsive. That\u2019s when we make a lot of our bad choices. Like my friend who became a single mom as a teenager. Or like many young people who drive recklessly and get into car accidents. Or who abuse drugs and alcohol.<\/p>\n
That\u2019s like the impulsiveness of a person with bipolar disorder who is in a manic episode. So if you were ever impulsive when you were young and made bad decisions, you might be able to better understand how your loved one gets impulsive during a manic episode and makes bad decisions, too. It\u2019s not because they mean to do it. It\u2019s because when they\u2019re in a manic episode\u2026The bipolar kind of \u201ctakes over\u201d and impulsivity is one of the results. Then they lose control. And they make bad choices because of it. Like: excessive spending, reckless driving, compulsive gambling, impulsive behavior, drug and alcohol abuse, sexual impropriety, financial mismanagement, foolish business ventures, etc. These are all bad choices, but they make them because they\u2019re in a manic episode.<\/p>\n
But just because you understand WHY they make the choices that they make, doesn\u2019t mean that you should just excuse what they do during that episode. As I said earlier, there are still consequences that we have to pay for bad choices that we make. Everyone has to, and just because your loved one was in a manic episode when they made their bad choice is no excuse to get out of the consequences. For example, if they become impulsive and drive recklessly and get in trouble with the law, the police aren\u2019t going to let them get out of that ticket just because they\u2019re in a manic episode. So you should make them pay consequences for their other bad choices that affect you as well.<\/p>\n
Well, I have to go!<\/p>\n
Your Friend,<\/p>\n
Dave<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Hi,<\/p>\n
You know, lately I\u2019ve been thinking a lot about choices. It\u2019s because I\u2019ve been helping a friend of mine. She\u2019s a single mom. And she had her daughter when she was a teenager. She doesn\u2019t regret having her daughter, because she loves her very much. But she does regret having had sex at such a young age. She does feel that was a bad choice that she made, and that she should have made a better one.<\/p>\n