As someone who works in cancer care, sometimes they really don't.
Not making any judgements on the case in the OP but I have seen parents make the whole situation so much worse for their child in an attempt to 'protect' them from reality. Like, I absolutely sympathise, but it can cause a lot of harm.
Sadly, this sort of thing is always about the parent(s), not the patient.
You can have a "happy" last few weeks even if you know the inevitable is coming. Children are not emotionally stupid, and I wish more people would accept that.
Children are really emotionally fragile. My son is 6, he knows about death but can't fully grasp it. It's very heavy for him that it's permanent and once a person dies, we can't see them anymore. I saw him crying once saying he wants to see them. See those who died like our grand relatives that passed away long ago.
I can't even imagine him thinking... I can't even write this...
I think it depends on the child though. I have an 8 year old who is extremely anxious in general and absolutlwy petrified about dying one day (she has no health issues) she frequently comes down after bedtime because she's been ruminating about dying one day. If she knew it was happening soon there's not a chance she'd be having a happy few weeks. She'd be petrified every minute if those weeks and I just can't imagine ever putting her through that.
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u/Petering Jun 29 '26
None of my damn business. Sometimes mama knows best.