Pink October: Telling your kids about breast cancer
“How am I going to tell the children?”
Breast cancer affects one in eight women during their lives. Unfortunately, it is not only the patient that has to face the pain and issues that go with a diagnosis. The emotional impact spreads to the rest of the family.
Children of cancer patients too, deal with their own emotional and behavioral issues. An assessment conducted in Britain in 2006 showed that depression in these children had to do with poor family functioning and poor communication, rather than mom’s treatment status or how long ago she was diagnosed.
Clearly, improving family relationships and communication help with enhancing both the patient’s and her family’s quality of life.
So how does the family help the kids cope with mom’s breast cancer?
Here are a some initial steps.
1. Acknowledge that children are affected. Kids intuitively know that something is wrong and mom is hurting. They can sense the uncertainty, fear and worry from mom’s own voice or how others treat her.
2. Information is key. Depending on the child’s age, provide some basic information - what is breast cancer; what treatments mom will go through and how mom will be affected after. This website explains breast cancer in a language that kids understand.
Some doctors even suggest to let the child visit the hospital. Information will help them prepare for what’s ahead. For example, knowing that becoming bald is expected may lessen the shock.
3. Be honest about how mom feels. Try as she may, mom will not always be cheerful along the course of treatment. Being honest to the kids about mom’s good and bad days will also help them cope with their own feelings. Some children will feel the need to be strong for mom, but try telling them it’s ok to be scared and emotional. The more a family bonds, the stronger each member will be.
Have more questions about helping the family cope? This brochure (PDF) may get you prepared. This comprehensive list of Q&A may help with your own questions.
October is National Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Tags: breast cancer, awareness, children, talking about, coping
Related Stories
POSTED IN: Behavior and Emotional Health, Diseases and Medical Conditions, Family and Home
0 opinions for Pink October: Telling your kids about breast cancer
No one has left a comment yet. You know what this means, right? You could be first!
Have an opinion? Leave a comment: