How to talk to a child when a parent is sick

livemint.com:

10 Great Children’s Books for Talking About Surgery, Sickness and Feelings, on the website of University of Michigan, which continues to be pertinent. “Oftentimes, we’ll find that parents don’t know what to say to their child about surgery, for instance, so they don’t tell them anything. Books can help kids prepare for what to expect at their level," it quotes Andrea Rentz, a certified child life specialist, who looks for accurate information, a suitable balance of words and images, and an age-appropriate yet honest approach to the subject matter in such titles.

Also read: This summer, let kids take charge of the holiday While I was struggling with the numerous questions that my daughter had, I came across Josie Leon’s 2017 book, Mommy’s Going to the Hospital. Illustrated by Elizabeth Parkes, it is meant for 2 to 5 year olds, but serves as a great reference point for older kids as well. The colourful illustrations take away some of the grimness from the conversation. Without stating exactly what the mother is ailing from, the book helps prepare a young child for the parent’s impending hospital stay and the journey from diagnosis to being nursed back to health.

A similar book is Annette-Rivlin Gutman’s Mommy has to Stay in Bed. Meant for 5-6 year olds, it looks at a parent, who is on long-term bed rest and can’t participate in the daughter’s daily routine. It highlights ways in which the mother and child cope with this situation and find novel ways of spending time together.