Advice - breaking bad news

Ernie

Ernie

Ernie

Associate
Joined
30 Jan 2003
Posts
484
Location
London
I need to tell you a little history. My sister-in-law has been trying to concieve for years, so she went on IVF last year and has fallen pregnant, she's about 2 months gone and has had terrible constant sickness, so she was taken to hospital and kept in to rehydrate etc etc, so now she is at her mum's recouperating and taking it very easy.

The problem is, her husband rang my wife to say their(her) cat had been run over and killed, and she absolutely adored the cat, so, how and when does he break the news? Pretending the cat had strayed may be a probelem as the neighbours found the cat, and she'd probably be forever looking for it.

Any advice/suggestions, any pyscologists?;)
 
Depends on her really. Is she strong enough to take it? Is she the kind of person to just get on with things?
 
I would just tell her now and be done with it, rather than have the weight of it on his shoulders till she's told.
 
Send her this
2254_funny_cat_pictures_331.jpg

Followed by this
4920_1168702253-11674885811774361.jpg
 
No softly softly diversion then?

she's reasonably strong, but she is ment to be convelessing.
 
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Can her husband ring her doctor to ask his advice?
It does depend how BADLY she will take it, because it could stress her out even more which is the last thing she needs. If shes likely to be at her mums a few days could her husband try and get hold of the doctor to see what he thinks.
 
Do what my Dad does, first he told me there was bad news and realy bad news so i said get the really bad news over with, so he said he crashed the car, which he didn't, he bumped it and caused a dent. So after that he said right and the bad news is your great grandmother's died just matter of factly.

And again I was at home for a couple of days and we were driving back from a stately home that we visited and he was like this is really bad we need petrol, followed by, 'Did I mention your half-uncle has leukemia?' Which apparently upon further questioning he'd had for about 4 months.

Probably best just to tell her straight out.
 
get the body and stick it by the fire, for a while it will just look like its sleeping a lot, and eventually look like it died in its sleep, and not hit by a big fast car.
 
Ernie said:
I need to tell you a little history. My sister-in-law has been trying to concieve for years, so she went on IVF last year and has fallen pregnant, she's about 2 months gone and has had terrible constant sickness, so she was taken to hospital and kept in to rehydrate etc etc, so now she is at her mum's recouperating and taking it very easy.

The problem is, her husband rang my wife to say their(her) cat had been run over and killed, and she absolutely adored the cat, so, how and when does he break the news? Pretending the cat had strayed may be a probelem as the neighbours found the cat, and she'd probably be forever looking for it.

Any advice/suggestions, any pyscologists?;)
Click to expand...

ITs a hard one because if she REALLY adored that cat, it could cause her distress, which isn't good for the baby, yet the longer you leave it, the harder it will be to tell her...just tell her as nicely as you can...if thats possible :s
 
I wouldn't tell her, she seems to vulnerable from the description you gave in the OP.

Tell her when the baby is fine, she probably won't even care when she's got a new baby in her arms.

I LOL'd at the cat pics.. I am bad :(
 
Reminds me of this

Lenny went on vacation and asked Bobby to watch over his house. About a week later, Lenny calls home and asked "How's my cat?".

Bobby hesitated and sadly told Lenny his cat died.

"What?! You shouldn't have broke the news to me like that! You should have done it slowly. The first time I called, you should have told me he was on the roof. The second time I called, you should have said there was no way to get him down. The third time I called, you should have told me that you tried to get her off the roof, but she fell down and died," explained Lenny.

Bobby apologized and went about his day.

About a week later, Lenny called again and asked "How's my Granny?".

There was a long silence and then Bobby replied. "Well, she's on the roof."
Click to expand...
 
Lenny went on vacation and asked Bobby to watch over his house. About a week later, Lenny calls home and asked "How's my cat?".

Bobby hesitated and sadly told Lenny his cat died.

"What?! You shouldn't have broke the news to me like that! You should have done it slowly. The first time I called, you should have told me he was on the roof. The second time I called, you should have said there was no way to get him down. The third time I called, you should have told me that you tried to get her off the roof, but she fell down and died," explained Lenny.

Bobby apologized and went about his day.

About a week later, Lenny called again and asked "How's my Granny?".

There was a long silence and then Bobby replied. "Well, she's on the roof."
Click to expand...

PMSL
 
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