Explaining Meds to Young Kids

So I take 5 different meds each day between mood disorders, acid reflux and insomnia. My kids, though Luke is too young at 2 to even notice, quite frequently watch me pop pills. At 6 Thomas has shown interest in what all my pills are for.

So the question arises: How do you explain all these pills to young children?

Now, how much you explain about your various mood disorders is up to you. Thomas, for now, is fairly clueless. He isn’t stupid, meaning he knows I have my bad moods. He knows I’m sad sometimes. He knows I’m angry sometimes. However he is oblivious to what BPD is and that it applies to me. As he grows older I’ll introduce him to the term. When he’s a teenager I’ll allow him access to the books about it, if he shows interest. As he grows he’ll know what is appropriate for him to know and as much as he’s interested in knowing. I’m not going to shelter him all his life from it, it’s obvious something is wrong with mommy. Why play dumb?

But what about the meds?

KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid) applies.

Anti-depressant: These pills make mommy happy.
Mood stabilizer: These pills make mommy’s mood balanced so she isn’t happy then sad then happy then sad then happy.
Anti-psychotic: These pills help prevent mommy from being really angry all the time
Acid reflux: These pills keep mommy’s tummy happy
Sleeping pill: These pills help mommy fall asleep

It’s that simple. It doesn’t need to be any more complex then that. Sure as he gets older I’ll actually tell him what everything is and in more depth what it does, if he wants to know, but for now, KISS.

Need help figuring out how to explain a various med, of any type to a little one? Comment and I’ll give it a shot.

2 thoughts on “Explaining Meds to Young Kids

  1. I've been there. The hardest to explain was the chemo drug to treat a cancer I don't have. I don't even understand that one…

Leave a Reply to Walkingborder Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *