Children may have a lot of questions and they may notice when things are a little different to the norm. Therefore, if your child is living with a bowel dysfunction, you may wish to address this and have a conversation with them at some point. You may want to know more about how to support them through this trying time and help them understand some of the things they can do so their bowel dysfunction does not get in the way of living their life to the fullest. Read on to learn how you could structure these conversations with your child.
Watch the video
Sometimes it is easier to engage your child with a visual aid. You can use the short videos at the bottom of this page called 'Why Are My Bowels Different' to spark a conversation with your child about their bowels and it can help you to explain what this means for them.
All people are different, and so are our bowels!
A good way to frame the topic of bowel dysfunction can be via analogy. Think about easy differences you can point out between yourself and your child. Perhaps you have different eye colours or are different heights. You can then use this awareness of differences as a starting point for helping your child to understand that their bowels may work differently to other people’s as well.
Give a simple explanation of the bowel
Providing a simple explanation of what the bowel is and how it works can help your child to grasp the problem at hand. That way it is not just an abstract concept, rather, they can get a full picture. You can talk about what happens after you have eaten a meal: your digestive system starts to break down food, absorb nutrients and get rid of waste products.
You can explain that poo is the waste that remains after food has been digested and therefore needs to leave the body. It is formed and pushed through the large intestine, passing into the rectum where it is stored. You may want to talk about the intestines in terms of “pipes” or “plumbing”. Different muscles (sphincters) in the rectum then relax at the right time to allow the person to poo and get rid of the waste products.
Focus on how they are not alone
Explaining how transanal irrigation can help
Again, you can use various analogies to help explain how TAI supports your child. Just like how you may use glasses to help yourself see when other people do not need to, TAI is something that can help your child’s bowels. If they are worried about using TAI or have more questions, answer them as best as you can. An open dialogue will help your child to trust the treatment and feel like they have more control.
