Don’t share the worst case unless they ask. “What if” has no place in a child’s thoughts, and things have as much chance of going better than you hope, as worse.
Keep it simple. Answer direct questions honestly, but as simplified as possible. For example, “He’s sick.”, And “We don’t know, but we have doctors helping us care for him.”
Be honest, but not brutally honest. You want them to not feel burdened and to not feel lied to.
When choosing between truth and gentleness, chose gentleness. They’re not going to truly understand accurately anyway, so don’t burden them unecessarily.
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A few things:
Edit: Sending you positive energy.
I appreciate the answer, but everything I’ve read is counter to your suggestions.
Do you have any experience with this, or are you just guessing?