Issues with going to school
It can be very difficult to know whether to keep sending your children to school every day when someone in the family might die soon.
Children with an ill parent are at risk of:
- anxiety and depression
- irritability
- thoughts that pop up in their head without warning (intrusive thoughts)
- complaints related to their body, such as stomach pains
- not being able to concentrate in school
- not doing well in school
You will probably feel like keeping your child at home to be with their loved ones as much as possible. But keeping some routine in your child’s life can help them feel more stable and safe. It might help them to go to school and see that normal life can continue, even though things are changing at home.
There may also be days when keeping them home feels like the right thing to do.
Teachers
Talk to your child’s teacher about what is going on at home.
You don’t have to tell them anything in detail if you don’t want to. But if they generally know what’s happening, teachers can:
- understand why your child is behaving in a certain way
- give the support your child needs
- help to plan when to tell your child’s friends and classmates what they’re going through
Older children
Be sure to ask older children what they want you to do.
Teenage children might choose to tell their teachers themselves. Or they might not want their teachers to know at all. This could be because they don’t want the attention or be seen as different from the other children.
Reassure your teenager that their teacher can help and won’t tell anyone else without your child’s permission.
Older children might feel more comfortable talking to a close friend or older relative, rather than their teachers. But if you can, do try to convince them that the school needs to know about any major changes in a pupil’s life.
