Would you like to find out how to help children cope with pain? The information in the article below comes straight from my working experience with children suffering from chronic or life-threatening illnesses. The more information about this topic you know, the more likely you are able to help children cope with pain.
Imagine that we are at the doctor's clinic. You see a child crying and yelling because of pain inflicted by injection and medical treatment. How do you feel? Are you anxious or worried when you bring your child to see a doctor? It is normal to have this reaction. Since it is painful to see your child suffering in pain, I shall suggest ways to help the children to cope with pain and medical treatment.
Ways to help children
1. Tell them the details of the medical appointment
You can tell the children about the date, time, place and reason for the medical appointment. You can describe the environment and person of a clinic or a hospital. Is there any toy corner, toy house or reading books for the children in the clinic or hospital? Who are the doctor and the nurse? What will they do for your children? Why do you bring your children to see doctor? What will be the treatment of the illness?
For example, the parent tells his son, "Today, I will bring you to see Dr. Lee at 9:00 a.m. at Clinic H because you have fever. Don't worry. The doctor and nurse are helpful and they will check your body and give you medicine so you will recover soon."
2. Role-play at Home
Role-play is a good way of learning for the children to experience a real-life situation. Sometimes, you play the role of a doctor, nurse, and patient at home. Your children will have experience of different roles through acting.
In my experience, children usually like to act as a doctor or a nurse. They will develop a sense of mastery or control over the situation. Through the change of roles, the children will experience different roles and become more familiarised with the physical and social environments of a clinic or a hospital. You can buy a doctor kit in a toyshop to play with your children. A doctor kit includes stethoscope, thermometer, plasters, and blood pressure measuring equipment and so on. The choice of toy is according to the age and preference of the children. The role-playing game is good psychological and mental preparation for your children.
Preparing your children for the medical treatment is very important. Tell them about the medical treatment and the role-playing game at home can prepare them to see a doctor psychologically.
I hope that you can share your knowledge with others about how to help children cope with pain.
Disclaimers: The author shares this article based on her personal and work experience and disclaims any responsibility for any liability, losses or damages and /or application of any of contents of this article.
Domestic violence doesn't just affect the victims, it also affects the children, even if they haven't seen it, they may have heard all the shouting. They can become withdrawn, their schoolwork may suffer, it can also lead to behavioural problems, such as bullying, kicking and screaming at younger or even older siblings. Others may just try and block it and try to carry on as normal.
I must admit I was very lucky with my daughter, she's doing great at school, and she wants to be a Marine Biologist. She was about 5 when my abuse started to get out of hand, she's fourteen now, and we're the best of friends, she sometimes mentions what her dad did, and what she'd do if he tried anything now, we've been divorced seven years, after fifteen years of marriage. I did what I did not for myself, but to keep my daughter safe. It's not always the adults that are a victim of domestic violence.
There are people who can help with this, Social Services, the Child Protection Team, and Counsellor's, even schoolteachers can help as they know your child and sometimes it's easier for a child to open up to an adult they know and trust other than their parents. In fact schoolteachers can pick up a lot from kids, when they get to know them.
If your child doesn't want to talk about it, don't force them; this will only make matters worse. Let them start talking and asking questions first, this may not be until they're older and can understand more about what's been happening in their life.
My mum was also a victim of domestic violence, I used to see the bruises and hear the shouting, from about the age of eight. It took me till I was twenty-one, then I confronted my dad, this ended in a full-scale fight.
There are a lot of refuges for victims of domestic violence, the abusive partner is allowed nowhere near, so they and their children are safe, there are counsellors that work there and people to help you get re-housed and financial help, even schooling for the kids can be done in a refuge. These can be either short term or long term depending on the situation, the only downside is you may end up moving away from friends and family, but at least you know you and the kids will be safe.
Both Wai Chong Mak & Jim Brown are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.
Wai Chong Mak has sinced written about articles on various topics from Self Esteem, Parenting and Children. Ms Mak Wai Chong, a mother of 3 children, is a freelance trainer and counsellor. She has worked as social worker and counsellor for 17 years. Visit her website at