How to talk to your children about your breast cancer can be one of the hardest parts of being diagnosed for many moms.

Here are some ways to help you and your children:

• Busy Box: Sharsheret, a national not-for-profit organization supporting young women and their families, of all Jewish backgrounds, facing breast cancer, is there to help mothers address the needs of their children during diagnosis, treatment and beyond. They offer a FREE Busy Box filled with toys and games to occupy little ones while mom is at the doctor or resting after treatment.  There’s also resource materials and a DVD to help parents talk to their children about the impact of cancer on the family. Click Here, or call  866-474-2774.
• Cancer Care: What do I tell my children? That can be one of the most difficult questions facing a parent who has been diagnosed with cancer. CancerCare offers several FREE publications that provide expert guidance for explaining your diagnosis and treatment to your children.  Look for Helping Children When a Family Member Has Cancer and Helping Children Understand Cancer: Talking to Your Kids About Your Diagnosis.  All CancerCare publications are available in print or download them as PDFs. Click Here
• American Cancer Society: FREE downloadable PDFs on subjects such as How should children be told that a parent has cancer? and What if my child asks if I’m going to die? Click Here
• Breast Cancer Moms: This central information website offers lots of great FREE advice, including answers to common questions kids ask and tips on how to break the news, explaining treatment and much more on parenting with cancer. Click Here

Good to Know

• Mothers with Cancer: This is a great blog from 20 mothers with cancer who write about their lives parenting children while fighting the disease. You can search the site by diagnosis, treatment, etc.  It also has a great list of books for children and teens about having a mom with cancer. Click Here