Be Honest When Talking To Kids About Cancer
One of the worst things you can ever hear from your doctor is that you have been diagnosed with cancer. However, something even worse is finding out your kid has it and then having to figure out how to tell them about it. Keep reading the following paragraphs for some sound reasons why honesty is the best policy in such situations.
Hiding something from your child is not always the best idea because they are far more intuitive than adults, and very adept at body language. They will know you are holding something back and that an unpleasant situation is going on revolving around them. If they can read some between the lines, you are just going to make yourself look dishonest. As a matter of fact, they might even learn from you that lying to a loved one is okay when there is bad news, meaning they keep something from you later in life.
Even if you are able to hide the news of cancer from your child when you are around, can you control everyone else? If your child learns that they have cancer from another individual, their trust and faith in you is going to be breached, which leads to resentment for you not being upfront.
Your child can get through the treatments and symptoms of cancer a lot easier if they know what is down the road and coming to them. This is not possible if they do not know that they have the disease in the first place.
If your child knows what the treatments are going to involve step by step, then they might find ways to actually get personally involved. That not only makes them feel useful, but can do wonders for their psyche and confidence in a time where they need it most. At the very least, they might not feel so helpless and afraid.
A child's mind is one of powerful imagination. If they do not know exactly what is going on around them, then they mentally create a situation that is far more dreadful than what is physical reality. This can not only complicated treatment, but even hinder it.
As emotionally detached as it might seem, going through cancer is an educational opportunity to teach your child about diseases and how they impact life. You and your kid are both fighting for health and survival, so preparing them for living a lifestyle that prevents and fights cancer in the future years is actually quite an optimistic note to take. Take better care of yourself too, to lead by example.
It breaks your heart to know your child has cancer. Telling them is an even deeper place to go that just hurts. However, if you try and protect them by keeping the truth from them, then you are actually making things harder for everyone. Your child is likely a lot more resilient than you realize, so go over this article again at least once to prepare for this devastating conversation. Always remember that being honest is best.
