Page last updated: March 2026
The information on this webpage was adapted from Talking to Kids About Cancer (2026 edition). This webpage was last updated in March 2026.
Expert content reviewers:
- Joanna Fardell, Senior Research Fellow and Deputy Director, The Behavioural Sciences Unit, School of Clinical Medicine, UNSW Medicine, UNSW, NSW
- Dr Diana Adams, Medical Oncologist, Macarthur Cancer Therapy Centre and GenesisCare Campbelltown, NSW
- Emma Bowne, 13 11 20 Consultant, Cancer Council SA
- Ken Colbert, Consumer
- Cara Dahl, Team Leader – Online Support, Cancer Hub, and ACA Registered Counsellor, NSW
- Elizabeth Egan, Clinical Nurse Consultant – Oncology, St John of God Subiaco Hospital, WA
- Dr Maria Ftanou, Director, Psychosocial Oncology Program, Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre, VIC
- Nat Fuss, Senior Clinician, Canteen, SA
- Helena Hobson, Senior Social Worker, Cancer Centre, Fiona Stanley Hospital and South Metropolitan Health Service, WA
- Nadine Macbeth, Social Work Team Leader, Cancer and Chronic Care, Westmead Hospital, NSW
- Damian Ragusa, General Manager – Services and Programs, Camp Quality
- The Team at Redkite
- Alexandra Wright, Consumer
For many people, the end of active treatment is a time of relief and celebration, but it can also be a time of mixed emotions. C
hildren and teenagers may expect life to return to normal straightaway, but the person who has had treatment may be re-evaluating their priorities. Your family might need to find a “new normal”.
What do children need to know?
It may help children and young people to know that cancer can be a life-changing experience for many people.
Once treatment has finished, some people want life to return to normal as soon as possible, while others feel they need to re-evaluate their life.
This process is often called “finding a new normal”, and it may take months or years. People may also worry about the cancer coming back.
The person who has completed cancer treatment may continue to feel the physical impact of cancer and its treatment. For example, fatigue is a problem for most cancer survivors.
They may make life changes such as choosing a new career, starting a new exercise program, reassessing relationships or improving their eating habits. See our Living Well After Cancer booklet for information about life after treatment.
How children react
Like many adults, children may find it hard to understand why things can’t go back to the way they were before the cancer.
They’ve had to deal with changes while their parent or other family member was sick, and now they probably want to get back to normal. Your kids may:
- expect the person who had cancer to bounce back
- become clingy
- worry the cancer will return
- carry on as if the cancer never happened.
Expect good days and bad days – for both adults and children in the family. Focus on one day at a time.
Genevieve's story
Throughout my son Leo’s treatment, it was so hard to plan. We just had to say, “Let’s see what tomorrow brings”. Two years of that. You think it’s never going to end.
It was such a joyful day when the treatment finally finished. I had never allowed myself to look that far ahead. Leo had a “no more chemo” party at school. Leukaemia treatment is so socially isolating, and it was just wonderful to see people embrace the family and to see Leo so engaged with school and friends.
Now that treatment is over, each and every day matters. It may not be a good day, but all days are important. We’ve all learnt not to write off time – you don’t put things off. It’s a good life lesson.
I’m really proud of all 4 of my children. Despite all the hardship, there has been a lot of growth for them. They are more resilient and have developed strength and compassion. Leo’s siblings pulled him through, and we all pulled through together as a family.
Family life after treatment
You may celebrate the end of cancer treatment and acknowledge that it has been a difficult period for everyone; this is particularly important for teenagers.
Your children have lived with worry for months and may need your permission to relax and have fun again. Thank them for their role in keeping the family going and supporting you.
Let the family know how you’re feeling emotionally and physically so they understand if you’re not bouncing back as quickly as they expected.
It may be helpful to remind your family that side effects are likely to last for a while after treatment finishes.
Keep using the emotions thermometer if you found it helpful (see Talking about treatment). Be open about your feelings, such as if you’re feeling anxious before a check-up or disappointed that you couldn't attend something.
This may encourage your kids to talk about their own emotions. Do things at your own pace, and avoid any pressure to return to “normal” activities. You may want to ask yourself:
- Am I doing what fulfils me?
- Am I doing what I want to do?
- What is important to me?
Explain any changes to the family’s lifestyle to your children and negotiate responsibility where possible.
During your recovery, you may be able to encourage your family to join you in making some healthy lifestyle changes – for example, you could do light exercise together, or make healthy changes to the kids’ diets as well as your own.
Looking after yourself
If you are a parent who has finished cancer treatment, you may want to focus your attention on your children, but it is important to look after your own wellbeing as well. These strategies can help.
- Consider joining a support group. You may find it helpful to meet other people who have been through cancer and understand how you are feeling.
- Find out about Cancer Council’s Cancer Connect program by calling 13 11 20. They may be able to put you in touch with someone else in a similar situation.
- Read real-life stories of how other people have responded to a cancer diagnosis.
- Take part in a survivorship program or event. To find out what is available in your area, contact Cancer Council 13 11 20.
Contact cancer support
Answering key questions
Q: Will the cancer come back?
This can be a chance to hear your children's concerns about “What if?”. Listening to their fears is important in helping them cope.
A: “The treatment is over and we all hope that will be the end of it. We hope that the cancer won’t come back, but the doctors will keep a careful eye on the cancer with check-ups every now and then. If the cancer does come back, I will have some more treatment, which we hope would make it go away again. We’ll let you know if that happens.”
Q: Why are you still tired?
A: “I’m feeling a lot better, but the doctor said it might take many months, even a year, to get all my energy back.”
“The treatment was worth it because now I’m better and the cancer has gone away, but it took a lot out of me and now my body needs time to recover. This is normal for people in my situation.”
Q: Can’t we get back to normal now?
You may need to take some time to process the ways that cancer has affected you, but this will probably be difficult for children, particularly younger ones, to understand.
A: “Life will start to get more like normal as I feel better, but we may change the way we do things, like ... [the way we eat/how much I go to work]. Maybe we can also find some new hobbies to do together.”
“We’ve all been through a lot and I know it’s been hard for you too. Things might not get back to exactly how they were before I got sick, but together we can find a new way that works for all of us.”