Page 14 - Family Programming - When a Parent Has Cancer

3. Let them know who in their lives knows about the cancer and can support them • It is recommended that at least one individual at your child’s school know about your cancer, such as the child’s teacher or principal. That person is your eyes and ears at school, can support your child when you are not there and can alert you if they see any behaviours that are out of the norm. • Let your child know who at school they can talk to and let them decide with you how involved they want that person to be. For example, “I don’t mind if my teacher knows but I don’t want them asking me all the time about it”. • There may be other adults who are close to them that they can open up to about the diagnosis and how they feel. Identify those other adults with your child. • Help them explore if they would like their friends to know about it and, if so, how they would like to tell them. • They may be interested in reading or watching a movie or visiting a website that talks about parental cancer. What do I do if my child seems to be really struggling? Parents often struggle with knowing when their child may need additional support on top of what you are offering at home. As noted, most children will demonstrate changes in emotional responses, behaviours and routines and may regress especially at the time of diagnosis. Often children will “bounce back” over time and learn new ways of coping. Some signs your child may need additional support are: • Struggling at school when they have not typically been struggling • Extreme changes in behaviour such as acting out, not sleeping well or sleeping too much, drastic change in eating, isolating themselves. • Showing a lack of interest in activities they used to like. • Children who have struggled with emotional wellness or experienced behavioural issues prior to the diagnosis may show an increase in these areas, and parents and children may need additional support strategies. • Any sign or indication that they may hurt themselves or someone else (in which case, parents should seek immediate medical/mental health support through their family doctor or hospital). 14 14