Being a mom can be challenging at the best of times. Even more so when battling chemotherapy or radiation treatment side effects like extreme fatigue.

During that time, it was important to me to keep cancer from consuming my family life and to continue to give my daughters the time and attention they deserved. In addition, it was comforting (and necessary) for them to see that while I had many physical changes on the outside, I was still the same old mom on the inside.

Some of the best advice on how to achieve this came from other mothers who shared these valuable “family play date” tips with me:

• Choose projects that you can do together from the comfort of your bed and couch. Store them away to bring out for special times together. Non-messy craft kits, art supplies like crayons, markers, paper and modeling clay promise many hours of non-taxing fun. Puzzles too.
• Read a book or series together. My daughters and I read Judy Moody. It was great to have them read to me and it went a long way towards completing their school reading logs! Another option is to write your own story together and enjoy illustrating it.
• Declare family game night! I knew from my chemo schedule what days I would be feeling better and announced when we should break out the electronic scrabble. Some of our other favorite games were Othello and Apples To Apples.

But most often just cuddling together, hearing about their day, and having them demonstrate their dances for their dance recital was the very best. Tired of fatigue? Kids can be the best medicine for it!

For more motherly advice, read our blogs in “From One Mother To Another.”