Just for the kids...

I get a lot of e-mail from parents who want to explain to their children about the other parent’s alcoholism or addiction. It’s a touchy subject and there is always the fear of creating more confusion in trying to explain an already confusing subject. I never sat down and talked to my kids about their father’s use of alcohol. There may have been some dialog – but they knew. There was no way they could NOT know. They overhead the arguments, they suffered their own disappointment in Riley’s lack of attention to their accomplishments, failures and just life in general. My kids didn’t need a book because they were part and parcel to it all.

It isn’t like that in all families. Sometimes the addiction is such a guarded secret from the kids that they just don’t know. Maybe they are too little to understand. Maybe they grew to just accept it as a part of normal life because they didn’t know it WASN’T normal.

Carolyn Hannan Bell is the author of an easily understood book “Daddy’s Disease” and “Mommy’s Disease” which offers an explanation to children with an alcoholic parent. She is a practicing licensed professional counselor specializing in substance abuse, codependency, depression and anxiety.

“Daddy’s Disease” features Tommy, a young boy who doesn’t understand why his father doesn’t want to be with him. Tommy and his dog Murphy are easily relatable characters that are fortunate enough to have a Mommy who explains that Daddy’s disease is called alcoholism. She helps Tommy understand that he is not to blame for his father’s behavior and that his father’s lack of attention is not because he is unloved or unworthy.

Mommy’s Disease follows the same concept with a young girl named Mila.

Both books are available on Amazon.com. You can also order one or both of these books by going to Carolyn Hannan Bell’s website:

http://www.alcoholismhurtskids.com/about-the-author-and-helping-children-understand-book-series.html

Be sure to leave a review in the blog comments and on Amazon.com if you should decide to buy these books for your children.