Family illnesses can confuse and scare a child

Children think their parents are bullet-proof, so illness or injury in mum or dad can threaten their sense of safety.

WHEN I broke my wrist earlier this year, my six-year-old couldn’t wait to tell her school friends. But very soon, she was drawing pictures of me “before you hurt your wrist”.

All perfectly understandable, says clinical psychotherapist Joanna Fortune ( www.solamh.com ).