Before diving into any particular details, the most important thing to keep in mind when there is a terminally ill child in your life is that they need unconditional love, unwavering support, and a listening ear available to them at all hours of the day. Approach every situation with those thoughts in mind and the child in your life will know they are loved and not alone during their most painful hours.
Whether this is your own child, relative of yours, or someone you met by volunteering at a children’s hospice, keeping a terminally ill child in good spirits will be a challenging task. Having a terminal illness is something unimaginably painful to most of us but there are many ways to bring comfort and happiness when it is needed most.
Quality Time
The first thought some of us are going to have will be how to spend as much money as possible on the child. While money is going to be part of this, all children are going to want more quality time together over the most expensive gifts. Plenty of activities can be done without having to give much consideration of the cost. You can play games together, read books and watch movies together.
Moments like these, that don’t cost much, are what’s going to make the child feel most cared for. Activities like that are going to be easy for you to plan and it will also give the child in your life an absolute break from all the stress otherwise happening in their life.
Give Them Control
Having a terminal illness is going to be extremely scary and overwhelming day in and day out for the child. Throughout this experience, and varying degrees, they are going to feel like they don’t have control over their own body or even what lies ahead in the coming days. Make sure to include them in any decision-making, whenever possible.
This is in reference to serious matters, like when there are different options for treatments, but also let this happen for the simple things too. Let them choose their meals, the movies you both watch and particular night you do that on. Those little decisions will go a very long way.
Bring Positivity
What this looks like is going to depend on how much energy they have. You might want to create positive experiences that are more than just the simple things together. If they are up for it, take them to the zoo or an amusement park, anywhere like that. If you can do something like that, go all the way. Make sure they see their most-loved animals or get to experience their favorite rides.
The positivity you bring can even be something simple as a genuine smile. Communicate how important they are in your life and how much they mean to you. If you are not able to be with them everyday, in and out, do at least make sure to check in on them with a phone call or through a video chat. You can visit more magazine valley.
