Many parents want to protect their children from emotional distress and shy away from talking openly about serious illness. But even very small children notice when the mood in the family changes.

If you think your children are suffering in this situation, you should explain to them about the illness and its consequences so that they can understand what’s going on. For infectious illnesses like COVID-19, it’s especially important to explain to children about the risk of infection so that they understand why they may need to keep away for a while or why they are not allowed to visit Mom or Dad in hospital.

Children react in different ways when their parents are ill. But they generally find it easier to cope with this knowledge than with uncertainty about their parents’ behavior.

If you feel you can’t solve the problems within the family, you should get professional help. There are many sources of advice and help for families (such as local, faith-based and voluntary organizations).

The websites of groups such as Diakonie, Caritas and pro familia provide information about the advice they offer for families with problems in your neighborhood.

Child-friendly information about infectious diseases and the coronavirus pandemic is available on the websites Hygiene-Tipps-Fuer-Kids.de (run by Bonn University Hospital) and kindergesundheit-info.de (run by BZgA).

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