Parents who are exhausted and stressed-out often have a difficult time making good decisions regarding their child's care and are often unable to provide quality support to their child. It is critical that parents look after their own physical and mental health for the benefit of their whole family. Children are very perceptive. They know when their parents are upset or worried. If parents of a chronically ill child let their worries and anxieties show, they run the risk of increasing their child's anxieties.
Children follow their parents' example on how to react to difficult situations.
If parents are not handling the stress well, then the chances are great that their child will also have problems coping. Children with chronic illnesses often don't know how or what to tell others about their illness. It may help for the parent and child to role-play examples of providing explanations and answering questions others might ask. The issue of how to handle any teasing should be discussed, too. Parents should try to be careful about what is said within earshot of their child.