If you turn to page one and look at the opening paragraph of any parenting manual, chances are that the first obsession for any caregiver to a child is to keep them healthy and happy. This is true from Mexico to Mongolia, Alaska to Australia.
Ask any loving parent of small children, and they will tell a story of the internal risk assessment quietly and urgently conducted when entering a new environment. For those with toddlers, there is a land of utopia made entirely of soft play with no hard edges or sharp corners.
It is, however, a sad and inevitable fact of parenthood that there are so many factors beyond the control of that personal risk assessment. Life will make its own choices, and a parent must roll with the punches.
Coping with Childhood Conditions and Ailments
Every single child will have something that bothers them in their youth, just like adulthood. These obviously range from tragic cases of serious illness to minor but frustrating interruptions to a normal routine.
Parenting is an eternal mission of managing expectations, limiting damage, and providing solutions to challenges that a young mind often finds difficult to comprehend.
Flip to page two of that parenting manual, and a massive rule to understand and follow is the appreciation that a child takes the lead from their caregiver. In other words, if a parent, or any responsible adult in their life, projects a calm, composed, and positive exterior, the child will reflect that in their behavior.
At the opposite end of the scale, an obviously stressed parent, who is unable to internalize their emotions, will transmit that anxiety to the young person in their life.
The old saying goes that children are like a sponge. They absorb everything from the people around them, good and bad.
Swallow the Good and Bad of Living with Dysphagia
The list of difficult, distressing, and unexpected ailments that can impact childhood is endless.
One condition that is little discussed or understood is dysphagia, simply defined as difficulty when swallowing, which naturally upsets the most basic need to consume food and drink.
Again, it is one of the fundamental instincts of a parent to ensure their child is well-nourished and can take enjoyment from the pleasures of a diverse and balanced diet. Dysphagia disrupts that basic instinct, but there is help on the horizon.
Medical and nutritional guidance is crucial to ensuring the child retains all the good intake needed for the aforementioned healthy and happy life. Modifying the food and drink plan can help. There are delicious thick fluids and soft foods that can make swallowing a lot easier.
Innovative treatments are available, ease the swallowing process with ideas like SimplyThick gel, explore the options available on the market and speak to professionals with experience in dealing with dysphagia.
Childhood Conditions Don’t Have to Last a Lifetime
Dysphagia is just one example of an ailment that can impact daily life, but the key job of a parent is to ensure medical conditions do not define a childhood.
A positive attitude, even in adversity, makes all the difference. Talk openly with the child about different conditions, listen to their concerns, provide reassurance and then turn the focus on all the wonderful opportunities ahead of them.
Parents can’t prevent every problem, but they can control the impact.
