What do I tell my Child?

Hey ladies...

Just a little worried about how to explain to my VERY ACTIVE four year old boy...that I'm going to need some downtime and wont be able to jump around like spiderman or do any rough housing for a while. He's not goin to understand. How do you explain these things to a four yr old. (His dad is out of the picture) so its just me and my little boy...and my surrounding family. I just dont want to upset him...since this is his first year into school (such an important time) and I dont want to let him down!

My daughter is 4.5 and my son is 1.5 and I am concerned as well. I had my gall bladder out last summer and a Lap on the 15th and my daughter was really great. She has been very affectionate. She does want to go and do and I am still sore so I am worried as well how things will go once I actually have my hyst. Mine is not scheduled yst so I have some time to prepare...HUGS!

I think it's important to be honest with them. It doesn't mean you have to go into the gory details, but you do need to let them know that Mommy has a sick part inside her body and the doctor's going to take it out. You're going to need some quiet time for your boo boo to heal, and you'll have to play quiet games for a while. Kids are very visual creatures. You could get a calendar to help them understand in a concrete way how long you'll be in the hospital and how long you'll have to be playing quiet games. Making time to cross out the days with markers or stickers will make a little fun out of it. If I were you, I'd start practicing some quiet games now, and making it fun. Puzzles are great, as well as craft projects that involve glue, crayons, stickers (again), and markers. Play doh can be very entertaining for a long period of time too. Disney dvd's were always good for a good hour and a half with my sons when they were little. If you start training them now, it should make for an easier transition after your surgery rather than a drastic change from your current routine. Maybe you can arrange for family and friends to plan activities out of the house for them too, so you can get some rest. Remember that children are resiliant. Don't feel guilty for taking the time to heal. You only have one chance to do it right. It will all be long forgotten in a matter of weeks once you're well. Best wishes.


Tracy

I agree with the above!! You have time to set a new routine for your son. I have a 4yr old and a 1.5 yr old. I am explaining to my son that mommy has an owie in her tummy and the doctor needs to get it out to make mommy better. He is worried but that is normal. He is very understanding and he is already a great helper, so I give him little chores now to do. He gets so excited to have chores, so I know that when the time comes when I really need him to help he will know how.