If you're a child and one of your parents is ill, then you want to do everything you can to help. Telling your parent that you love him or her and you want to help can brighten up their day.
1Realize that your parent is going through a lot and might not always be cheerful. Do not take their emotions to heart. They may get upset or frustrated, but their emotions are usually due to their illness, not you.
2Ask if you can help with anything - cleaning, making phone calls, feeding the pet, helping a younger brother or sister with homework, etc.
3Try not to make too much noise if your parent is sleeping. Close the door to the room they are sleeping in. If your parent needs to get to an appointment, gently wake them about 30 minutes before they need to be there.
4Don't have friends over. See if you can go to your friend's house instead.
5Keep your own life under control so your parent doesn't have to worry about disciplining you all the time. Do your homework, come home when you say you will, go to bed when you're supposed to, and do all the other stuff you know you have to do without having to be reminded. This way your parent can relax and not have to worry too much about how you are coping.
6Don't think about how ill your mother or father is. This will make you sad and worried - which will make your parent worried too.
7Research your parent's illness. It can help you deal with their discomfort if you know what kinds of symptoms and side effects they're experiencing.
8Tell your mother or father you love them, even when they're sick. Do not treat your parent as if the only substance to them is their illness.
9Do nice things for them. Parents (or anyone!) appreciate being cared for or helped out. Help out around the house, offer to make dinner, or do things that need to be done.
10Clean the house. Your mother or father probably doesn't have the energy to deal with cleaning.
We could really use your help!
- Food helps, so cook a lot! Make sure to clean the kitchen up after you are done.
- If, despite your efforts, you still feel overwhelmed or depressed, go see your school counselor or a trusted teacher. Just because your parents are going through a tough time doesn't mean you don't deserve help.
- Ill parents can be very edgy, as they are usually very frustrated. So be on your best behavior 24/7.
- Don't make them think they can't do anything themselves. If there are things that they can do by themselves easily, let them do it.