Handling a Child’s Illness

When a child falls ill, family life is disrupted in many ways—school, work, meals, and routine fall away while parents and family members care for the ailing child. Prolonged care can feel overwhelming and stressful, producing feelings of guilt in parents, siblings, and other caregivers. Learning to ask for help—and figuring out exactly what help to ask for—can be difficult when we feel that we’re supposed to be the ones taking care of everything and everybody. Finding our way to resilience starts with the courage of self-compassion.