What A Child Whose Father Is Sick Should Know

Preserving health is everyone’s job, but sometimes diseases come without our having foreseen this situation. Today terrible diseases have developed, so many families have been broken by this unexpected situation. But how do children react to a parent’s illness? What should we tell the child in these cases?

One of the main concerns of parents is to be able to stay in a position to care for their child forever; But when a disease comes, it comes without hesitation. The fact that a parent is ill represents a serious break in family dynamics and we never know how children can react to this situation.

But in these cases almost no one has a practice, because they must have gone through something like this to know how to act; however, specialists can provide suggestions to address these circumstances, and you can also learn from the experiences of other families.

Faced with the father’s illness, what should the child know?

Parents are always concerned about the welfare of our children ; while childhood passes we dedicate ourselves entirely to protecting them and giving them the best. But we hardly ever show the same interest in ourselves, therefore health can be broken.
In the same way, we know that health problems do not always warn and do not forgive anyone ; That is why it is advisable to train children with solid moral foundations and also guide them with the basic survival tools in special cases.

But what to do when we already find ourselves suffering from this problem? How to handle the illness of the father or mother in front of the child? To get closer to the correct answer, we can start by following these tips:

• The first thing we must do is speak to them sincerely, because they will notice the changes and it is unfair for us to tell them that nothing is wrong. Tell them that their father is sick and use real words ; that is, calling the disease by name and inviting it to ask any questions you have in mind.
• To continue with this task, we need to know what the child’s level of knowledge on the subject is. Let’s ask him what he has heard, how he understands it, and what he knows about the disease.
• Clear up any misunderstandings. It is preferable for the child to be clear about many details; Although we do not want to burden them too much with this situation, we must be concerned that they are aware of everything that is useful to them.
• One of the basic aspects that can be touched, is to tell them the causes and consequences of the disease. According to Parenting At a Challenging Time, children often come to blame themselves for their loved one’s illness; they may think that they infected them or avoid approaching them to infect them.

• If unfortunately it were a disease whose symptoms are extreme and the physical changes are very visible; It is important for children to keep abreast, because it is not advisable to give them a brusque impression. For example, coming to see their father suddenly very thin or with some particular sign, can become traumatic if they had not previously seen him in this state.

• It is advisable to respect children’s feelings at all times. As children they have different emotions, which they have not yet fully mastered; That is why it is normal for them to react with fear, annoyance and even indifference, but we must be tolerant and positive about their attitude.
• Taking some action in solidarity can encourage faster acceptance. We can try to make a “get well soon” card or prepare a fruit basket to take away; the important thing is that the child shows his solidarity and feels that he is contributing in some way.

• Whatever the case, you will need to give him hope that the father will recover or be frank about the possibility of things getting worse; In this particular, it would be very valuable not to instill false beliefs, because an unexpected outcome could affect the child’s confidence.

Above all, it is advisable to take advantage of all the spaces so that the children value the family ; it is important to stick together and take care of each other. Family members can help guide them in starting or continuing healthy habits so that they understand that good health also depends on ourselves.