If the person with MS and his or her family does not understand the need of an energy conservation plan they will regularly be surprised by a collapse caused by fatigue. You were fine this morning. Families that have children have the difficult task of communicating why Mommy or Daddy can't do what she or he might like. For toddlers and young children, simple explanations are best. No, I can't pick you up.
Families also have to make different kinds of adjustments to raise children.
Child-proofed rooms and homes may be more painstakingly prepared in order to save the person with MS the extra effort of pursuing a little one to keep him safe. For families who are willing to forego conventional roles, Dad's with MS may find staying at home to be a more effective use of their limited energy then working, or Mom's with MS may find a sedentary job that pays for day care a strategy to extend her energy. As children get older, better explanations are required. By age six they should have a reasonable grasp that Mommy, or Uncle Joe is not always well and sometimes needs to have special consideration. By eight or ten, they can understand that the disease has a name and may ask questions about it.