Linda Malott has written a book for children of parents with Chronic Fatigue and Fibromyalgia Syndromes entitled "How Many Marbles Do You Have?". It a story of a mother who shows her family how much she is able to do in one day by the amount of marbles she puts in a jar. If she is having a bad day she only has a few marbles and cannot do many activities. If she uses more marbles than she has in her jar the next few days she doesn't have any marbles at all, feels sick and needs to rest. When she wants to do something special she needs to save some of her marbles from the other days so she will have extra marbles. I think this is a good metaphor for the swings in energy that persons with CFS & FMS deal with. The story is heartfelt and easy to understand for people of all ages. I particularly like the concluding paragraph:
"I sure do love my mom. Her heart is so full of love that it overflows and fills my heart with love. I wish she could do all of the things the other moms do. But a heart full of love is better than a jar full of marbles any day!"
My deepest concern about my illness was how it affected my children. I felt sad because of all the activities I wanted to do with them but was unable to because of my health. I worried about them feeling safe because I personally did not feel safe in my body. Despite my concerns my daughters grew up to be beautiful, self-confident and healthy women. I attribute that to the love and understanding that my husband and I nurtured in our home.
I think Melinda Malott has made a valuable contribution to children, families and friends of persons with CFS and FMS. I highly recommend it. It can be ordered on amazon.com.