Talking To Kids About Cancer

I have been sharing a lot about helping kids through a medical crisis, whether it is them or a loved one. There are lots of ways to help, but one of the hardest things to do is to talk to them about cancer and breaking the news.

When we talked to my kids about their Nina (their grandmother) having breast cancer, it was one of the most heartbreaking things I have had to do. We have taught our kids about God and love praying and reading the bible with them. Explaining to them that God would get us through this really helped, but there are other things that can make the task easier. 

1. The most important thing is remembering that you must talk to them. If you do not talk to them, they will draw their own conclusions and that will be worse than the truth. 

2. If your child likes facts and figures, like my Tbomb, sharing good facts is a good idea. 

3. If the loved one is going through treatment like chemotherapy or another treatment that is hard on the body, make sure you let them know ahead of time that their loved one will spend some time sick, but that is because the medicine is making them better. 

4. Letting your children talk with someone who has gone through the same thing could help them as well. 

5. Let them ask questions and be open with them. 

6. The two scariest things for the kids were when Nina got her port put in and when we shaved our heads. We talked to them about this and made them understand that our hair would grow back. The port was a little more difficult, but we showed them the paperwork so they could see what it looks like, what it does, and that it would heal over. That did help some, but giving Snapper's doll a port helped the most. 

7. Make sure you explain to them that Cancer is not contagious and they will not catch it.

8. Seek help! Watching someone you love go through an illness isn't easy on anyone. One tough thing is watching your children trying to cope. That did a number on me and I was always looking for ways to make it easier on them. A therapist could make a huge difference in this process. There are several options- you can talk to the therapists to ease your anxiety and get tips for helping your children cope or you could allow your children to see a therapist. There are even online options, like BetterHelp. All of this is dependent on each illness and child. Everyone is different- keep that in mind!