Talking to children about your condition

Talking to childrenThis section is for people who have a serious illness. It discusses how to talk about your illness with children aged from two to sixteen. It outlines the steps you can take to help your children understand what is happening to you and help you through this difficult time in your family life. The information is also appropriate for guardians, grandparents or carers who have a serious illness.

Talking to children about your illness can be a very difficult thing to do, and may be upsetting for both you and the child. However, involving children in the situation and letting them know what is happening can be very supportive to them and can help them (and you) to cope better with the illness.

Condition-specific information

Further information on conditions that may be affecting you or those around you:

Support Groups

Visit the NHS inform Support Services Directory to search for local organisations that may help with the issues you are facing:

Last updated: 29 March 2012

This content was supplied by Macmillan Cancer Support.