Giving your child accurate information when preparing him for surgery is essential to their being calm before and after surgery. Explain the procedure to your child as accurately as possible, telling your child “I don’t know but I will find out” if you do not know the answer to a question. For example, don’t tell your child that you will accompany them to the operating room if you are not sure this is possible.
A normal part of surgery like saying goodbye in the pre-surgery area can be traumatic when the expectation was that goodbyes would occur after being escorted into the operating room.
”I don’t know” is preferable to providing information that is wrong, which can cause significant distress for the child when their expectations are different from what they are experiencing. Just remember to obtain the correct answer, especially if your child asks the same question repeatedly while waiting for an answer.
