Balancing a Parent’s Cancer Treatment With Children’s Routines: Maintaining Normalcy in Extraordinary Circumstances

Parenting can be challenging under normal circumstances. When a parent is undergoing cancer treatment, the struggle intensifies. However, maintaining your child’s routine and ensuring a sense of normalcy can significantly affect the entire family’s emotional well-being. Routines help establish a rhythm in daily life, offering a sense of predictability and control and reducing stress and anxiety. It’s essential to maintain a sense of normalcy, particularly amid turmoil.

According to the American Cancer Society, children thrive on routine. Even in times of stress, like when a parent receives cancer treatments, maintaining a regular schedule can help children cope better and feel more secure. Continue reading for tips on how to balance a parent’s cancer treatment with your child’s routine.

Communication Is Key: Talk to Your Children About Cancer

Parents diagnosed with cancer are encouraged to communicate with their children openly and honestly. Kids need to understand what’s happening in a way that’s appropriate for their age and development. You can explain the situation, tell them it’s okay to feel upset, and reassure them that you’re doing everything possible to get better.

Devising a Schedule: Maintain Normalcy

One effective method for maintaining normalcy is creating a structured schedule that integrates the parent’s treatment plan with the children’s routine. You could use a calendar app or planner to help coordinate your medical appointments with your children’s school calendar and extracurricular activities. 

School Year Preparation: Establish a Routine

Starting a new school year can be stressful under the best circumstances. The added stress of a parent with cancer can intensify that stress. Fortunately, there are steps you can take to help your children manage the transition back to school. 

• Communicate With the School: Inform your children’s teachers and school counselors about your situation. They can provide extra support and understanding during this challenging time. A simple explanation to classmates can promote empathy and reduce misunderstanding If your children are comfortable with it.

• Prepare for the Morning Routine: Plan and practice your morning routine before the school year begins in order to anticipate challenges. Prepare lunches, pack backpacks, and lay out clothes the night before to save time and reduce stress in the morning.

• Maintain Regular Bedtimes: Maintaining regular bedtimes can ensure your children get enough sleep, which will help them perform better in school and manage emotional stress more effectively. 

Engage a Support Network: Share Responsibilities

There may be times you’re not feeling up to certain tasks due to your cancer treatments. Enlisting the support of relatives, friends, neighbors, and school personnel can help balance tasks. For example, school drop-offs and pick-ups, attending school events, or helping with homework. Professional services like Cancer Care provide practical assistance and emotional support for families affected by cancer.

Emotional Support: Let Them Express Their Feelings

Provide space for your children to express their feelings. Professional counseling and support groups for children affected by a parent’s cancer can be beneficial. For example, Kesem provides life-changing experiences for children dealing with a parent’s cancer. We offer year-round services, our Camp Kesem summer camp program, and family resources that help children cope, become resilient, and create new friendships. 

Taking Care of Yourself: The Best Thing You Can Do for Your Children

Taking care of your health during cancer treatment is the best thing you can do to help your children. While this can sometimes be easier said than done, particularly when dealing with cancer and undergoing treatments, eating a healthy diet, getting adequate rest, and managing stress levels can help improve your well-being and, in turn, help maintain normalcy for your children.

Help Us Empower Children 

Balancing a parent’s cancer treatment with children’s routines is challenging. However, with open communication, a structured schedule, emotional support, and self-care, you can help maintain a sense of normalcy for your children. 

Your generosity allows us to offer Camp Kesem and all other year-round services free of charge, so any child dealing with a parent’s cancer can begin to heal, regardless of their economic situation. 

There are so many ways to give. Donations help Kesem change lives! You can help by participating in fundraising; donating through planned giving, donor-advised funds, or stock donations; attending or sponsoring an event; or shopping at our store. With your support, we can ensure that more children impacted by a parent’s cancer can feel joy, hope, and the magic that is Kesem.

To maintain a high standard of accuracy and reliability in the information provided to you, we ensure that our content is sourced from diverse, credible, and verified authorities like academic institutions and journals, reputable media outlets, government agencies, and recognized industry experts.