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Medical City Children's Hospital
 7777 Forest Ln, Dallas, TX 75230 (972) 566 - 7000

Preparing your child for their siblings surgery

When you child is preparing for surgery, your other children may also feel anxious. We've compiled a list of tips to help you prepare all your children for the upcoming procedure.

When your child goes to the hospital, brothers and sisters may feel afraid, worried or confused. They will also have to deal with being away from one or both parents, missing their brother or sister, or having to stay with other family or friends. The following are some of the common feelings siblings may have during this time:

  • Being lonely - They miss having their brother or sister to play with, and their parents around to care for and comfort them.
  • Being left alone - If they are not told about what is happening, brothers and sisters may feel like they are not important. They may worry about who will take care of them and may assume their needs will not be met. Who will feed them? Who will make sure they get to and from school? Who will make sure they are safe at home?
  • Jealousy - Brothers and sisters often wish that they were the ones getting all the attention or presents from family and friends, and become resentful and/or jealous of their sibling.
  • Guilt - Siblings may feel bad for having mean thoughts about their brother or sister, or may even feel like it is their fault their brother or sister is in the hospital. They might feel guilty for being healthy, when their brother or sister is ill.
  • Fear - They may think they can "catch" something from the sick brother or sister. They may be afraid the sick child wills not eat well or will not ever come home.

Books for siblings about surgery and hospital visits:

  • "When Molly was in the Hospital: A Book for Brothers and Sisters of Hospitalized Children" by Debbie Duncan
  • "Let's Talk About When Someone You Love is in the Hospital" by Marianne Johnson