Philosophy concepts and applications

HIV Infection and Your Child

It is a very frightening and traumatic to know that one of your children is suffering from a life threatening disease, especially if you feel that you may be partially responsible for what has happened. That is one reason why parents are reminded repeatedly to talk to their children about sex and related matters before they reach an age where they start mingling intimately with the members of the opposite sex. Sex education in schools only covers a small part of the awareness process, the real education begins at home where the parents are responsible for discussing sensitive subjects with their children.

If I find that my daughter was having unprotected sex with multiple partners, and upon screening she is found to be infected with HIV virus, my first reaction would be that of complete shock and disbelief. I would be gripped with intense fear as I know there is no cure for AIDS and that HIV infected people need extra special care and attention so that they would not contract every other infectious disease. I would probably be very angry with my daughter for having got herself in this situation. While I know being a parent, I would eventually try my best to help her out, I would still be mad at her for not taking care of herself. It is best to teach one's child about sex and related matters but if parents fail to mention the diseases they can contract through sexual activities, they should also blame themselves if their child is found to be suffering from any sex-related disease. But having discovered that my daughter has had made this mistake, all I can now do is help her cope with the new reality in the best possible way I can.

Answer #2

I will then try to find all sorts of information on the subject of HIV and AIDS. I know very well that there is no cure for the infection, but with right treatment a person's quality of life can be improved significantly. I will try to explain the situation to my daughter because I wouldn't want to keep her in dark about the disease and what she can face in the coming years. The best thing would then be to first talk to her doctor in detail, and once I have all the information about her particular case and possible treatment, I will explain everything precisely to my daughter. I believe that nothing creates more fear in a patient than lack of information. I will also encourage her to find out more about the condition on her own, this way she will have ample information available and making a decision about future treatment would become easier.

Answer #3