4th and 6th grade

I dreaded telling my kids, who were 11 (girl) and 9 (boy). I’d locked myself in my room for a couple of days, feigning sickness as I cried and processed the news. When I finally felt ready, my husband and I called them in to sit on the bed with me. We told them I had breast cancer and would be having surgery and possibly chemo and radiation and then gave them a minute of quiet. My daughter said nothing, but scooted closer and put her head on my shoulder. My son asked me if I would lose my hair 🙂. I told him if I had chemo, probably. He asked a few more questions and then went out to play basketball in the driveway. 
Throughout the next 10 months, they continued to deal with it in their own ways. My daughter was quieter and more snuggly. My son asked lots of questions and wanted to talk through it more. We tried to be honest but optimistic with them. We included them in some discussions, but not all. We relied on their friends’ families a LOT. They were a huge help with carpools, sleepovers (even on school nights sometimes), meals, etc. The mom of one of my son’s friends even took him lunch at school on his birthday since I had chemo that day. ❤️ I generally don’t give unsolicited advice, but if you have young children, accept ALL the help - and ask for it if you need it!