Top 5 Tips for Effectively Parenting the Sibling of a Child with Cancer
Childhood cancer affects the whole family, not just the child diagnosed. Unintentionally, the needs and feelings of siblings often get pushed aside due to the immediate requirements of the sick child. When our son, Shawn, was diagnosed with a brain tumour at the young age of 16 months, we hardly knew how to parent him, in what was now the whirlwind of our lives, let alone his healthy 4 year old sister, Jayme. Over the 18 months that followed, my husband and I took turns navigating surgeries, treatments and therapy while the other tried to retain a sense of normalcy for our daughter. Mistakes were made absolutely, but we learned from them and it’s from this insight that I would like to share some of those lessons.