Regardless of how kid-friendly we make our language, having conversations about dying and death with children is challenging, despite the experience we might have. Talking to children about dying and death was one of my favourite parts of my job on the hospice unit, but I developed a whole new appreciation for it and how challenging it can truly be for parents when I was diagnosed with cancer and had to talk about it with my own children. I would like to share my own personal experience. I call this tale ?Mommy has a tumour; now, let?s go buy a trampoline!?
In my defence, we?d been talking about getting a trampoline before I was diagnosed with colon cancer. My husband and I thought it would be a good addition to our collection of outdoor playthings. Yes, we knew the risks, but working in palliative care, we?ve always tried to live knowing you could be hit by a bus any day. Six years ago, I felt like that bus had actually decided to take aim. One of the first things friends asked upon learning that I was diagnosed with cancer was, ?What have you told your kids"? Talking with children about illness, death and dying was something I used to consider myself good at. It was part of my job as a social worker on a hospice unit. I used to wonder why people found it hard to talk with children. I often found it easier to talk with children about the tough stuff of life than the adults.
Then I had my own children. And when I was diagnosed with cancer, it suddenly wasn?t so easy or...