family support: 3 Articles

The Gift of Gerbert’s Feathers

Serious illness in a family can cause many emotions like worry, fear, or sadness. Whether a child is experiencing the illness or a loved one is ill, children need the opportunity to talk about their feelings. The Gift of Gerbert's Feathers explores how a family supports young Gerbert, as he experiences a serious illness, and how Gerbert finds a way for his family to remember him when he's gone. Hear the authors read The Gift of Gerbert's Feathers aloud and see three activities related to feathers. Read two posts from the authors about helping siblings cope with grief and helping children with serious illness talk about their feelings. Read the Note to Parents and Caregivers from The Gift of Gerbert's Feathers, the Kids' Reading Guide, and access a feather coloring sheet.

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The Gift of Gerbert’s Feathers 2020-09-10T19:33:30-04:00

Helping Kids Cope When COVID-19 Hits Home

Children may expect others to periodically get a cold or even the flu. What happens to children, however, if they learn that a loved one has COVID-19?  Knowledge About the Virus Many families have made significant adjustments to their daily routines due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Depending upon the age of your child, you may have explained that all of these changes, including social distancing, are how we can avoid getting a serious virus called COVID-19. Your child may even know, from you or from watching the news, that this virus can be deadly. Knowing that COVID-19 is serious can help children understand the reasons for changes in their daily activities, but it can also lead to them having more concerns about a loved one diagnosed with it. They may fear that they will catch it too! Talking With Your Children Even the youngest children will need some information about what is happening if a parent or someone else in the household is ill, since that person will be isolated from the family.  It’s generally best to talk with each child individually since age and personality may impact what you share and what questions might be asked. When talking with a child or teenager, try these tips if a caregiver is the one ill: think about whether or not your child would benefit from knowing that the person has COVID-19; when possible, wait to talk with your child until you have had a chance to think through how you want to explain the situation; let your child know that he or she has a support team (name them). If one person isn’t available, there are others who will step in as caregivers (this helps in case you, unfortunately, also get sick);  explain what you are doing to reduce the chances of others getting sick.  If your child is worried about becoming ill, you can share that kids don’t usually have serious symptoms even if they do get it; if you say that the loved one has COVID-19, add that lots of people are sick for a few weeks so your child doesn’t expect the person to be better in a day or two; for many young children, it’s okay to explain symptoms in general. For example,  “Mom has a fever and a cough.”  Other children may need more details or just need to know that the parent isn’t well; if the person is at home, explain how and why routines need to be changed for a while. “Grandpa has to stay in a private room to get better and to avoid giving us the virus.”; avoid giving overly optimistic, or pessimistic, descriptions of what’s happening; if a child asks detailed questions, and you don’t feel that you either know the answer or know how to explain it, it’s okay to say that you need to think about the question and will continue the discussion soon. Before and after your talk, monitor your child to see if your child’s behaviors or emotions are

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Helping Kids Cope When COVID-19 Hits Home 2020-04-29T20:53:36-04:00

Talking About Feelings With Children Experiencing Serious Illness

Having a child who is very ill is one of the most difficult challenges a parent can face. Handling day-to-day medical needs can be exhausting, but often helping the child with their emotional needs can feel most stressful of all. A child’s illness will impact the entire family. For children living with a serious illness or for those worried about someone with a serious illness, storybooks can be a starting point for discussion, a safe way to ask questions, express concerns or worries about the character, or talk about their own feelings or experiences. Magination Press picture book, The Gift of Gerbert’s Feathers, by Dr. Meaghann Weaver and Dr. Lori Wiener, provides families with an opportunity to explore how a child and his family navigate the feelings around serious illness and death. This excerpt from the book’s Guide for Parents and Caregivers provides guidance about how to engage in conversations about feelings with children experiencing serious illnesses themselves or in their families. Parents, Grandparents & Primary Caregivers Parents may want to talk about what is worrying their child the most, but are afraid if they ask too many questions, they could upset their child even more. Children may want to talk with their parents about what is worrying them, but they worry about causing their parents even more stress. Children often worry more about how their illness is impacting their parents and siblings than they worry about what is happening to themselves. In this situation: Children might talk to other important people in their life, such as a grandparent, about deep concerns before sharing them with their parent(s). This is very normal! What children need most of all is the same unconditional love and support parents and caregivers have always provided, without all the chaos of the hospital or medications. Reading a book together can provide a quiet and comforting opportunity to talk about what is happening. Other Special People Families come in all shapes and sizes, and there might be many people who play an important role in a child’s life. Sometimes children don’t want to worry their parents or aren’t sure how their parents will respond to their thoughtful questions, and so the child may inquire of others than directly to the parents.  Sharing a story, like The Gift of Gerbert’s Feathers, can foster communication, providing opportunities to ask the child questions about their thoughts or feelings. This may be the only time the child feels safe enough to ask or answer such weighty questions.  Make a connection to a character or situation in the story and ask the child how they feel about it. For example, “Why do you think Gerbert’s mother brings him blueberries when he wasn’t feeling well? What would bring you comfort?”  Likewise, situations in a story may allow you to share and explore your family’s beliefs about death. As a special person, you can bring the child’s questions, worries, and concerns back to the child’s parents to reduce the chance they will

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Talking About Feelings With Children Experiencing Serious Illness 2020-03-30T14:17:25-04:00