Telling Pippa’s siblings about her hearing loss

My partner and I, Liam, have four kids (aged between 11 and 15) in our previous relationships. The idea of telling them about Pippa’s hearing loss was anxiety to us. Not so much because we were worried that they’d react badly, but because they could be very upset. I was concerned about how we’d keep it together since the news came as an enormous shock for us, and we were still struggling to accept the situation for ourselves.

We decided to inform our guests after dinner that night and kept it simple and truthful. We told them that we’d taken Pippa to have Hearing tests in the hospital, and the audiologist concluded that Pippa could not hear us. We outlined what we had learned and informed them that she’d need hearing aids, which would assist her in hearing everyone. The audiologist we spoke to handed us some graphs that describe the various sounds and diagrams that show the inside of our ear, and we used them to explain her hearing levels to them. They were extremely helpful since they explained pictures of what was happening. We advised her not to be any different from the way they had previously treated her and to keep talking, singing, and playing in the same manner.

The reactions of the kids were mostly concerned about Pippa as well as what it could mean for her. We advised them to contact us with any questions they might have, and in the event that we didn’t know the answer, we’d try to determine. They’ve been fantastic and haven’t treated Pippa any differently. They’ve been keen for her to be able to sign, and they’re all aware of the times when things can become stressful for Pippa. It’s great to think you know that Pippa has four other members of her team watching her!