If a child doesn't ask questions, the parent or guardian should check in with them or offer another trusted adult who's available to talk.

During the conversation

It's OK to be open and honest about what's happening and how it can affect the entire family.

Part of that honesty includes using actual medical terms like cancer or chemotherapy. Ingman said the terms are scarier to adults than to children because kids don't have a grasp of their meaning yet.

It's an opportunity to explain the terms to them so they are prepared for how the illness will affect their loved one. Using a term also demystifies it and gets them comfortable hearing it.

Experts discourage guardians from using euphemisms or vague statements like "Mom is sick," because it could confuse the child.

For example, if a child's family member died from complications of a serious but unspecified illness, they might think another person with an unspecified illness could have the same outcome.

"It's actually scarier for kids to hear 'sick' because then they're going to hear other people are 'sick' and they're going to think that those people are going to die," Schneider said.

By using the right terms, the parent can talk about how treatment is different for everyone or how an early diagnosis can be different from a late one.

For young children, the first explanation will be short and simple.

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