Sheetal recently wrote an article for Parents.com on her journey to writing her new children’s book, ‘Making Happy’. The actor and activist emphasizes how important it is to be honest with kids about sickness, grief, and big feelings.
One evening, Leila asked softly, “Mama, why did you get sick?”
Mama answered, “I don’t know, love.”
“Is it because you’re strong?” Leila mused.
“Maybe.” Mama smiled. “Probably.”
“But why did it have to be you?” Leila pressed.
This conversation is an example of the many questions my young children asked when I was diagnosed with cancer. Never ending “big” questions that really had no answers.
It was Christmas Eve, 2018, when I heard the dreaded words: “You have cancer.” My life would never be the same. My kids were 2 and 4, and they were about to witness their mom going through one of the hardest times of their life. But they had zero understanding of what was actually happening, let alone how to deal with all the feelings that came up for them. Frankly, I didn’t either.
It led me on a mission to find children’s books that dealt with sickness, death, and grief.
There weren’t any.
Visit Parent.com or Sheetal’s writing section to get the lowdown on the full article.
