Photo by Ron Lach
Talking to kids about cancer can be difficult to approach and accomplish, especially with the subject being quite sensitive for both the child and the parent.
Dora Przybylek, author of a children’s book about cancer titled “Luisita is Sick,” helps parents and kids talk about cancer. Watching a child suffer debilitating diseases is tough, but we must do our best to care for them. In the picture book, readers will enjoy vibrantly drawn images, and helpful tips children and their parents can use.
Since we’re all about discussing how to talk about cancer to children, we’ll help provide useful and practical tips to make the conversation easier.
Give the Kids a Tour of the Hospital or Treatment Center
Before the treatment begins, you can provide your kid with a tour of the hospital or treatment center. Ask the staff if they can make arrangements for this. Your kids will have a better understanding of what transpires during treatment because of this experience.
They can envision the location of the cancer patient and get to know the medical staff. Kids can be given the chance to envision the cancer patient’s location and get to know the medical staff. If visiting the hospital is not an option, consider setting up a video tour.
Try to Draw Out Your, and Your Child’s, Feelings
Talk about cancer therapy via the arts. Ask your children to depict what they perceive cancer as or how various treatments operate. Their creative works might reveal much about what they comprehend or are experiencing.
Play Games and Create Stories for Your Child
Use familiar tales or games to help them understand how cancer is treated. You may play a game where you have to pop “cancer bubbles” to make them disappear with smaller kids. By stomping, slapping, or jumping on the cancer bubbles—or harmful cells—in the air, you can dare your kids to destroy them.
You can explain to your youngsters that the cancer cells are “popping” like bubbles when they receive chemotherapy or radiation treatment.
Also, when talking to kids about cancer, always be honest. Similar to the children’s book about cancer that Dora Przybylek did, you need to be honest. Kids appreciate it when adults are honest because they feel they’re being taken seriously. Fortunately, there are creative ways to discuss cancer with kids so they won’t get too worried.
Write Down a Journal of How You Felt and How Are You?
Teenagers and older elementary school students may find it easier to communicate their emotions by maintaining a personal journal or diary. Some people can choose to focus their short stories on the detection and treatment of cancer.
However, being aware of one’s emotions during that needed so that both parents and children won’t lose to the tiring and very long treatment process. Doing so will help any parent, and their kids ground their emotions. This, in turn, will fight the good fight no matter what comes their way.
Visualize the Treatment Plan’s Process
To illustrate the several phases of the treatment plan, use a diagram (flow chart) or timeline. You can consult the chart together at various points during treatment. It helps assess where you currently are with the treatment and how far your progress has come.
Let Music Be the Voice for Things You and Your Child Couldn’t Say
Children’s comprehension of the various treatments may be improved by listening to various forms of music in tandem or by encouraging them to compose their music. There are lots of things that we can’t say in certain moments. Having music as a means to communicate with each other is a good thing because it’ll strengthen your bond.
Talking to Kids About Cancer Is Difficult, but It Must Be Done
As previously mentioned, a conversation with a child about cancer is not easy to tackle. However, as parents and guardians, we must be the ones to tell them about it. Along with telling them the gravity of their situation, our assurance that we’ll always be there must also be set in stone.
If you want to read a children’s book about cancer, we recommend getting Dora Przybylek’s “Luisita is Sick” today. Visit her website and order a copy of the book over there.
While you’re still here, don’t forget to check out some of our articles and learn more about the relevance of children’s books during the pandemic.