Perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of motherhood with chronic illness is helping your children understand what is going on with your body and encouraging acceptance about how your illness may impact them. How can you help them develop empathy about what you’re experiencing, especially if your illness is invisible? Where’s the line between being honest and making them worry? What’s the best way to address their concerns in kid-friendly language? This is a topic that will likely need to be an ongoing discussion in your family – and sometimes reading a book together can help!
Why Does Mommy Hurt? – Helping Children Cope with the Challenges of Having a Caregiver with Chronic Pain, Fibromyalgia, or Autoimmune Disease
By Elizabeth M. Christy
In this book, Jimmy explains in his own words what living with chronic pain means for his mom. He also shares what he can do to help her every day. While the mom in this story lives with fibromyalgia, this book can still be useful for helping children understand any type of invisible illness or chronic pain.
One of the best things about this book is that it addresses not only the practical daily life impact of living with chronic pain, but also the emotional impact it has on everyone in the family. Jimmy explains that sometimes he feels sad or angry, which can help children reading the story understand that it’s ok if they feel that way too. In addition to sharing negative feelings, Jimmy also points out that it can make you feel important and special to help mom when she needs it. The story also helps kids understand that mom may not always be available to them, and that sometimes dad or another family member may need to step in to care for them when mom isn’t feeling well.
The author, Elizabeth M. Christy, lives with chronic pain herself and offers a helpful list of resources and tips in the back of the book. She also runs a Facebook support group called Parents with Pain.
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