Extreme Parenting: Parenting Your Child with a Chronic Illness »

Extreme Parenting is a personal guide written to help parents of a child with a long-term illness, whether it be asthma, cancer, cystic fibrosis, or another chronic condition.

Parents of children with chronic illnesses experience 'extreme parenting', which challenges them to find their strengths and to push themselves physically and emotionally to get the best out of life for their children and themselves. This book provides practical advice on issues such as how to cope with hospitals and treatment, communicating with health professionals, advocating for children, as well as tips for family life and self-care. Each chapter concludes with accessible advice and action points.

Extreme Parenting is essential reading not just for parents looking after children with chronic illnesses, but also for health and other related professionals, offering insights into the challenges that these parents face on a day-to-day basis.

Acknowledgements     9
Preface     11
Foreword     15
Introduction     17
The Diagnosis Disclosure     21
Coping with the diagnosis     23
Telling your child     34
The impact on the family     36
Advice and action points     41
Coping with Hospital and Treatment     43
The child's view of hospital     50
Coping with pain     52
The hospital experience     58
Advice and action points     70
Communication: A Two-way Street     73
Communicating with health professionals     77
Communicating with parents     86
Communicating with your child     90
Communicating with well siblings     97
How to communicate chronic illness to peers     98
Advice and action points     100
Support: Where to Turn for Help     103
Psychological support     109
Support for teenagers     112
Support for siblings     112
Support from grandparents     117
Support of the extended family and friends     119
Religious support     121
Supporting yourpartner     122
Support in the workplace     123
Community support     124
Advice and action points     125
The Education and Learning Experience     129
Advocating in the school arena     135
Communicating with the school     139
Home schooling     144
Medication and school     145
Advice and action points     146
Day-to-day Family Life     149
Everyday life for children     155
Everyday life for teenagers     164
Advice and action points     168
When Hope Fades: Parenting a Child who is Terminally III     171
Talking about death     178
Advice and action points     182
Conclusion     183
Contacts and Information Sources     185
References     193
Bibliography     199
Subject index     203
Author index     207