Explains what to tell a child about a parent's severe illness, when professional counseling is required, and how to help children come to terms with their fears.
Introduction: Your children: part of your treatment A family returns Helping you to help your children The first day of the rest of your life : Balancing your needs and your children's needs Making your children part of your treatment Three things to tell your children The three ages of childhood Explaining your illness to your preschooler Explaining your illness to your six- to twelve-year-old children Explaining your illness to your teen-agers Giving your children hope Fears of dying: first thoughts Telling your children: a summary Getting it together Early warnings Help! How to give it, where to get it Preparing children for hospital visits Coming home When it won't get better When things get very bad: Is it ever too late? Helping yourselves, helping your children Helping children to feel Final communications Last days Facing death: how children react How children grieve Restarting life Dealing with special family and medical circumstances: If yours is a single-parent family When parents are divorced When it's not the parent who gets sick AIDS Mental illness What if you can "catch it"? If the child is involved Special circumstances: a summary Epilogue
