BACKGROUND FOR THE FACILITATOR
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Talking to your child about your disease and your death is very difficult. Many parents are afraid of raising this topic. They
want to protect their children. But children watch adults constantly and they notice when something is wrong.
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If children don't know the truth, they worry. Children often imagine the worst. Although it may be very painful, children should
be told about the likely death of a parent.
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Learning the truth causes terrible pain, but at the same time it makes the death easier to understand when it happens. This
is better than the death coming as a complete shock, because the child was not prepared for it. It is easier for a child to adapt
to change when the change was expected.
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Use age-appropriate language and information.
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Use the media (television, magazines) to help explain HIV/Aids to your child, e.g., when an actor in Generations (television
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Many parents want to give their children something to keep. Having items that keep the memory of the deceased parent alive
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You may want to pray with your child. Teach your child about the divine being (God or what may be appropriate to your
soap opera) has HIV. Don't forget to tell your child about ARVs and how it helps a person to keep healthy longer.
is critical. Making a family legacy will be discussed in the joint sessions.
beliefs). Teach your child that God is a loving God that every person comes from God and returns to God when they die. Teach
your child to pray. Children who are able to pray and who have strong religious faith, generally cope better with life's problems.
Teach your child that God is always with us and that God will always hear a prayer.
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As a parent, you can STOP (show stop sign to mothers). It also says the following:
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Share your thoughts and ideas with your child and listen to your child's ideas, thoughts and values.
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Talk to each other. Teach your child to be independent. Trust your child - Talk, Tenderness, Truth. Children need to express
how they feel. This may be by talking, by drawing pictures, or by writing in a diary. Smaller children may feel more
comfortable re-enacting what happened in play. Remember, children need information to understand what has happened.
The information you give must be honest, true and shared in a way that the child is able to understand. Children need
tenderness - care and understanding - but at the same time they need directions, especially when their lives se