How to Tell your Child they have Cancer

Telling your child they have cancer is always hard especially for the parent. Some parents feel bad for telling their kids so they put it off. This is not good to do. When telling your child, you have to tell them in the right place at the right time. Do not do this in the child's bedroom!! The bedroom is supposed to be a safe environment. Tell them outside. There is a nice and fresh environment outside. This will help decrease the stress of the diagnosis. Don't feel bad if the child cries. Crying is just a child's way of coping with the diagnoses. If the child wants your comfort then you give it to them. Only give it to them for a limited time. Explain to the child what the cancer is doing to their body. Only use simple terms. If you use big words such as bone marrow or port access, your child will not understand which will make them more scared of what  is going to happen. Tell your child it is a bump in their (for example) stomach that is trying to them sick but the doctors are going to make them better. Give them a hug or express some affection. Do not cry in front of your children. They need your emotional support. You influence them. Tell your child to pack their favorite things to bring to the doctors office. explain that they are not moving but they have to stay there for awhile. Also explain that the hospital is a safe place. Engage in this activity with your child. Bring lots of entertainment!! The hospital gets boring because you can only watch TV for so long. Also be prepared. Go hat shopping with your child but do not tell your child they are going to lose their hair. This does not pertain to you if your child is not doing radiation treatment!! This will make your child's diagnoses way easier!!!