Father’s Day is June 16th – Tips for Fathers with Epilepsy

Father’s Day is on June 16th and all of us at the BC Epilepsy Society would like to wish a Happy Father’s Day to all the fathers out there who have epilepsy!

Some fathers with epilepsy may be hesitant to discuss this with their children because they may not want to seem like a “burden” on their children. However, it is important to remember that just like you care for your children, your children also want to play a role in taking care of you as well. If you are a father with epilepsy, and you want some tips on how to talk about your epilepsy with your child, read on to find out more:

Tip One: Assess the Situation:

• What your child needs to know depends on certain factors, including what type of epilepsy you have, what kinds of seizures you have, how controlled your epilepsy is and how frequent your seizures are, among others
• If your epilepsy is well-controlled, your child may need only a few basic examples of what epilepsy is; however, if your epilepsy is not well-controlled and you experience frequent seizures, your child may need information on how to help you if you have a seizure around them

Tip Two: Give Them the Facts:

• Explain your epilepsy to your child as early as possible, adding more detailed explanations as they get older
• Be sure to use language that is appropriate for their age and try to avoid using complex medical terminology that is hard for them to understand
• Check out our A Child’s Guide to Seizure Disorders and Straight Talk on Epilepsy: What Kids Need to Know resources for ideas on age-appropriate explanations on epilepsy for children

Tip Three: Let Them Ask Questions:

• Children are naturally curious and may have questions about epilepsy or seizures
• Let them ask questions and be sure to answer any questions they may have to the best of your knowledge
• If your child asks a question that stumps you, you can check out our Information Sheets from our website or ask your doctor or nurse in order to get them the information they need

Tip Four: Keep the Lines of Communication Open:

• Keeping the lines of communication open allows for greater relationship building with your child
• This also shows your child that you trust them with such an important detail about your life

If you would like some more information on this subject, you can check out our resource When Mom or Dad Has Epilepsy. You can also try attending one of our support groups to get advice from others going through similar situations as yourself.

We hope that the information in this blog post is useful for all the fathers out there with epilepsy!

Happy Father’s Day everyone! For our Father’s Day blog post on father’s of children with epilepsy, please click here.