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Here are a few thoughts about breaking the news to one's child. Yesterday I gave my twelve year old son the news that I had Parkinson's disease. I had been thinking for a while about what to say, whether to say anything to him directly, as he has asked me in recent weeks about my shaking hand. So yesterday, I told him when I got home from work that I had learned about the wonderful PD Bike-a-thon that Donna Kos is coordinating and thought we (my son Eli and I) could participate on at least a leg of the coast-to-coast ride. He's been bugging me about a bike trip--wants to peddle from Seattle to Florida!! "How'd you find out about this?" he asked. "On the Internet," I said. A couple more questions led to a couple more honest answers and finally he asked why I was so interested in this disease. "I have it," I said. "That's why my hand shakes." He thought for a moment. "I don't feel very safe in this family," Eli finally said. "Mom's got arthritis, grandpa died of a stroke, mom's mom is in a nursing hom, and you've got Parkinson's disease." I assured him that Parkinson's is not hereditary, that arthritis doesn't run in either my or my wife Lee's families, that his grandma is very old and has lived a pretty good life.I talked about my mom's parents, who lived into their nineties, and the good health of my 80-year-old dad (except for emphysema caused by years of smoking--an avoidable disease, I pointed out to my son). He seemed thoughtful. "Will your whole body start to shake?" he asked. Tough questions! I told him I was taking good medications that really help me keep symptoms minimized and that I'd be okay for a really long time. "But does it get worse as time goes on?" he persisted. "Yes," I said. "But it's going to happen very slowly." We talked a little bit more, until he seemed okay for the time being, and later I asked Lee if she thought I had done okay. "I thought so," she said, "but he's really worried about disease." He is. But the truth is, Eli has two really good parents who will continue to take care of him and nurture his budding independence as he moves into his teen-age years--and believe me those challenges have already begun. I feel like we'll be okay in the larger picture, and we try to pass that outlook on without minimizing his fears. It'll come up again, I'm sure. If anyone has feedback, suggestions, cautions, etc. in working with children in this situation, I'd be glad to hear from you. This isn't in any of the parenting books that I've read! Rick 47, 8 months