The authors believe that animals are less threatening than human children to young kids. My dad put milk in the pantry, and my sister went to sleep in her tutu. A teenager's reaction may be complex, sometimes a struggle to be close to the parent one day and independent the next. But most nights, she has preferred to sleep in the same bedroom with her mother and father. Talk and trust.
Some teens actually manifest symptoms of a parent's illness or treatment.
They may complain of stomach pains if a parent is feeling nauseated from chemotherapy. Adolescent daughters of breast-cancer patients are particularly prone to depression. No matter how a child reacts, experts agree the best response is to talk candidly and build a bond of trust. The couple decided to show their kids how to find courage, communicate honestly, and nourish hope and love. Nine years later, the mother proudly displays a dog-eared photo taken at a mall for a Father's Day mug.