“How do I tell my children?” Protecting children from feeling scared or unsure is a parent’s natural inclination – but keeping information from them can be problematic. Children know when something is wrong. How do you talk to them about what’s happening in a way that makes everyone comfortable?
“How do we keep things feeling normal?” When mom can’t pick the children up from school or the family can’t go outside to play, what happens? What important childhood milestones will they miss? Will their partner end up shouldering an impossible burden? How do you keep children from feeling anxious if a partner or grandma or a neighbour start taking on tasks mom usually does?
“How can I continue to be a parent?” Parents want to take care of their children. But what happens when they also need to spend a lot more time taking care of themselves, and are less able to provide the care and support they’re used to giving? There’s a lot of tension between their self-care and caregiver roles, and it can result in putting their needs second – and that can include medical care, rest and emotional support.
