Many parents feel anger, because they think the diagnosis took too long. Some feel guilty, blaming themselves for missing possible early warning signs. The medical team will play an important role in alleviating parental concerns. We each deal with diagnosis differently. How we cope with the illness will be based largely on prior experiences in crisis situations.
Some parents become overprotective of the sick child.
For these parents, it is especially hard to acknowledge that they are not in complete control of the sick child's well being. Overprotection, including extreme restrictions on the child's ability to interact with other children, can be damaging. When a child is diagnosed with cancer, parents have to give more time than usual to the sick child. Household roles may change. Parents adjust work schedules to accompany the child to the treatment center.