by Grace Angel

Created on: March 09, 2010   Last Updated: April 01, 2010

Helping a child with cancer can be a very challenging task. You do not want to constantly be talking about the illness. However, you want to support the child in their efforts to understand what is going on with their body. Children will need their own individual level of support. This means that the child should have control over how much they talk about their illness. If the child does not want to talk about how they are feeling, they should never be forced into having that conversation.

Keep in mind that you need to offer encouragement when the child is not feeling well. The more you talk about the positive aspects of the treatment process, the better the child will feel. Keeping the child focused on things that they enjoy doing is also very helpful. The more they are distracted from the illness, the easier it becomes for them to cope with being sick. If the child starts asking questions about pain management, you should allow them to have some influence over the treatment options that are used. Ultimately, they will not make the final decisions. However if their body cannot stand any more treatment, this should be considered.

Trying to keep your child involved in the things that are going on in their home life is very important. Something is simple as a television show or finding out what is going on with their friends can lift the child’s spirits. The more you talk about the future and the ability of the child to receive a physical healing, the more hope they will have in fighting the illness itself. Children need a support system that can give them an escape. This means that you should only talk about sickness when they are comfortable doing so.

Encouraging a child to journal their feelings about what is going on in the life is very helpful. This will allow the child to express their feelings in a positive way without having to talk to other people if they are not ready to do so. It is a good idea to encourage the child to have dreams and goals. Even if they are only short-term, scientific research has shown that people who are struggling with long-term ailments tend to heal better, when they are looking to the future. Children need to be given the opportunity to think about the positive things that can happen even after the diagnosis.

Finding other children that have lived through cancer can be inspiration to your child. This will show them that there is hope for complete recovery. It is best to avoid talking about the financial hardship associated with the illness. Children will most likely already feel guilty is for time that you are having to spend with them because they are sick. Try not to make their life anymore difficult than is necessary. Encouraging the child to have their own opinions about treatment and their willingness to undergo treatment is also to very important.

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