Re: family
Amy Thropp (athropp(AT)mindspring.com)
Thu, 08 May 1997 17:57:26 -0400
At 12:19 PM 5/7/97 -0400, you wrote:
>In a message dated 97-05-06 18:33:21 EDT, you write:
>
><< Do any of you have any tips on how you've helped children cope with having
>a
> parent with TM? When my husband is having a bad day, our 8-year-old doesn't
> want to go to school and can't concentrate on anything. Our 4-year-old gets
> really angry when his dad is sick.
> >>
>
>My kids were 8 & 12 when my TM attack struck. My son, the 12 year old did
>not handle well either, very angry and such. My husband needed to sit him
>down and reassure him that I was going to be OK. We also have a close friend
>at church who he could talk to. Your kids are probably just scared because
>something frightening is happening to one of the most important people in
>their lives. My suggestion would be to find someone for them to talk to,
>grandparent, pastor, counciler or etc., and discuss some of their fears with
>them.
>
>Hope that help some,
>Beth Shears
>
Mine are 8 and 16. In the beginning, when Steve was at his worst, my
daughter, being 16, was awful. She was complaining all the time that he
couldn't drive her places or do the things he used to do. We had to sit her
down and read her the riot act because she was being a typical self-centered
teenaged girl. Since then, she has been nothing but helpful and
sympathetic. Part of it was that he had no outward signs that he was not
well. He could still walk and get around, but he was suffering severe
paresthesia (sp?) as well as other problems including terrible fatigue. She
just figured it wasn't all that bad.
Our son is much more adaptable and he just started "doing things for Dad."
He has his chore list that includes things Steve used to do. We make him
feel grownup for chipping in when Dad needs help and he has adjusted
wonderfully.
It would probably much more difficult if he were more handicapped, but thank
God that is not the case. Talking about things frequently has worked the
best for us.
Hoping you find help...
Amy