The fact that they are parents becomes secondary. Unfortunately, you can t take time off from being a parent. It s a lifetime thing. When parents fall sick, children tend to worry that they are going to die or disappear and they wonder who s going to look after them. When children see their parents laid up in bed or in pain, they resent the fact that things are not the same and that mommy or daddy is not available to them any more in the usual way.
Children are too young to be rational and unselfish.
Parents distracted by worries about their illness and unable to spend time with their children may unwittingly give rise to thoughts in their children s minds that their parents don t love them any more. Parents have to understand that their children derive a lot of comfort from the predictability of their routine. Children need to know Often parents in a misguided attempt to protect their children tell them that everything is all right. However, this creates further confusion in the children s mind because they are perceptive enough to see that there is definitely something wrong and their parents are communicating a conflicting message. If your sickness is going to keep you in bed for a few days, make it a point to briefly explain to your children that you are going to have to rest for a few days so that you can get better quickly and play with them.