Talking with your kids!
How often do you talk with your kids about your illness? Do you feel like they are too young to understand the illness and all that goes a long with it? Well, what if I told you that our kids are smarter than we give them credit for, and to my surprise can be a great help in your time of need.
When I was pregnant with my daughter, my husband and I already were dealing with my various illnesses with just the both of us. I quickly realized that when my daughter came into this world, but more importantly when she was old enough, I would explain all of my illnesses to her in full detail. My reason for this was because my husband and I did not want her to be in the dark about why mommy was sick, or why mommy has to stay overnight in the hospital, or why does mommy take medication? These were all questions that I wanted to answer for her, as well as I want her to be ready for what may come if she is with me and there is no one around.
I believe that all children are smart...so my conversation with her was from a place of love; and at the age of five I communicated with her. First, I wanted her to be able to say what illnesses mommy LIVES with, so it was a daily exercise to ask her, What illnesses does mommy have? Her response was, "You have epilepsy, diabetes and lupus (2015)." Her pronunciation was perfect! I then went on to explain the definition of each of those illnesses to her; and we still go over them even now. Now, I'm sure you all are wondering if that is too much for a five year old, and I will say NO! The reason I say NO, is because when her dad would be at work, and she and I were home, she had to be the caretaker. I am not saying she had to administer meds, but if I ever felt under the weather or I felt as if I was going to have a minor seizure, she would know who to call and what to do.
Sharing is caring...I not only have my husband as a caretaker, but I also have my daughter; and without them I would struggle just to make it. The next thing that YOU, as a parent/patient must do is carefully explain what medications you take, and where they are stored IN CASE OF EMERGENCY!!! A part of the practice in my family is everyone knows where the medications are kept, they know what I take and most importantly my daughter knows how to call 911 IN CASE OF EMERGENCY....it is absolutely imperative that your children know your full name, spouse/significant other full name and phone number, full name and number of another emergency contact outside the home, address, medical emergency description, and last, but not least the names of the prescription medications. Having all of these things memorized or written down could essentially save your life!
Do not be afraid to share with your children, do not fear that they won't understand, do not fear that if put in the situation that they won't know what to do. All parties that live in the household, as well as those outside of your home that are closest to you need to be fully aware of what medical issues you are going through. Do Not Be Ashamed!!!
We all go through the stress of trying to figure out when exactly is a good time to talk about something as serious as a chronic illness with your children, or with family; but if you open up and be more transparent things will go a lot smoother for you.
www.thejljfoundation.org
Facebook - @JLJFoundation2017
Twitter - @JLJFoundation
Instagram - jlj_foundation
When I was pregnant with my daughter, my husband and I already were dealing with my various illnesses with just the both of us. I quickly realized that when my daughter came into this world, but more importantly when she was old enough, I would explain all of my illnesses to her in full detail. My reason for this was because my husband and I did not want her to be in the dark about why mommy was sick, or why mommy has to stay overnight in the hospital, or why does mommy take medication? These were all questions that I wanted to answer for her, as well as I want her to be ready for what may come if she is with me and there is no one around.
I believe that all children are smart...so my conversation with her was from a place of love; and at the age of five I communicated with her. First, I wanted her to be able to say what illnesses mommy LIVES with, so it was a daily exercise to ask her, What illnesses does mommy have? Her response was, "You have epilepsy, diabetes and lupus (2015)." Her pronunciation was perfect! I then went on to explain the definition of each of those illnesses to her; and we still go over them even now. Now, I'm sure you all are wondering if that is too much for a five year old, and I will say NO! The reason I say NO, is because when her dad would be at work, and she and I were home, she had to be the caretaker. I am not saying she had to administer meds, but if I ever felt under the weather or I felt as if I was going to have a minor seizure, she would know who to call and what to do.
Sharing is caring...I not only have my husband as a caretaker, but I also have my daughter; and without them I would struggle just to make it. The next thing that YOU, as a parent/patient must do is carefully explain what medications you take, and where they are stored IN CASE OF EMERGENCY!!! A part of the practice in my family is everyone knows where the medications are kept, they know what I take and most importantly my daughter knows how to call 911 IN CASE OF EMERGENCY....it is absolutely imperative that your children know your full name, spouse/significant other full name and phone number, full name and number of another emergency contact outside the home, address, medical emergency description, and last, but not least the names of the prescription medications. Having all of these things memorized or written down could essentially save your life!
Do not be afraid to share with your children, do not fear that they won't understand, do not fear that if put in the situation that they won't know what to do. All parties that live in the household, as well as those outside of your home that are closest to you need to be fully aware of what medical issues you are going through. Do Not Be Ashamed!!!
We all go through the stress of trying to figure out when exactly is a good time to talk about something as serious as a chronic illness with your children, or with family; but if you open up and be more transparent things will go a lot smoother for you.
www.thejljfoundation.org
Facebook - @JLJFoundation2017
Twitter - @JLJFoundation
Instagram - jlj_foundation
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