The idea of telling my parents or my kids that I am sick makes my stomach fold into knots. I’ve decided to take my children out to dinner. It would be better to be outside the house when I break the news to them. How do you exactly tell your children that you have a serious disease and that life is about to change? Over dinner. Break the news before the food comes out, then distract them with food.
“Mommy has bad and good news! The bad news is that I have Lyme disease. The good news is that it is curable. The bad news is that I have to be on medication, which will make me sicker. The good news is when it is all done, I will be cured. Think of it like this, I have bad guys in my body. The pills are the good cops. Their job is to find these bad guys but these bad guys are very good at hiding. We have to consistently keep sending more cops, so we can find them and fight against them. During this fight mommy will become ill. Don’t forget the good news is we can get them.“
My oldest son either did not realize how serious this disease is or he kept a good poker face. My daughter was worried. She had the most questions. My youngest seemed clueless and did not look like he was paying attention.