For those who are married and raising kids, it’s only a matter of time before you become bombarded with health-related questions. While sick or simply curious children represent the overwhelming number of instances where you’re tasked with answering a health-related question, expect your spouse to do the same at some point. It’ll make up for the day when you’re the one pointing to a weird spot on your body and wondering what’s going on.

In order to better prepare yourself, here is a list of frequently asked health questions from your family and tips for how to best answer them effectively and appropriately:

Why do I feel sick?

The proper answer to this usually depends on who’s asking. If it’s your daughter suffering from a head cold, the answer can be metaphorical in an attempt to explain germ theory to a toddler. However, if it’s your spouse, the answer may need to require a little bit of detective work to provide. After determining what should air conditioning be set at and accounting for other environmental factors which could be causing your spouse to feel under the weather, such as the state of air filters, continued unexplained illness can only be answered by a medical professional. When trying to cool a fever and keep your family comfortable during warm summer months, air conditioning units from York can make all the difference.

What is cancer?

This is the sort of health question that comes out of left field, or more precisely, from the left backseat on the way home from school. Sometimes the origins of this type of curiosity are more obvious, such as overhearing the vet explain the symptoms of cancer in dogs when accompanying you and the family labrador on a routine checkup. If confronted with questions about cancer or other forms of life-threatening illness, parents will be tempted to dodge the issue, but a simple and straightforward explanation is often enough to satisfy a youngster’s third for knowledge.

Should I see a doctor?

Kids are unlikely to ask this question, but your spouse may run the idea by you before scheduling an appointment. Furthermore, it’s going to be up to you and your spouse whether or not your child should be seen by a physician due to sickness, so in a sense it’s a question you will be asking on behalf of someone else. If your spouse wants your opinion about what to do, ask if what they are experiencing is unprecedented as far as they can remember, or if the symptoms are familiar and signs of something serious. If the answer is yes to either of these questions, then the answer to whether or not they should see the doctor is a resounding yes. Kids can be asked the same thing, albeit in a less complicated way. As the deciding adult, it’s also a good idea to pay close attention to your child’s body language. If they appear remarkably uncomfortable in a way you do not recall seeing before, this is a clear sign that a doctor is needed as soon as possible.

Will it hurt?

This is a question which is more likely than not to be asked by your kids rather than your spouse – though never say never! When asked if it’s going to hurt, children are mostly referring to syringes needed for their vaccinations. Fortunately for parents, the answer is a very honest “not really.” When it comes to having to answer “yes” such as when a dislocated finger needs to be put back into proper position, be honest but focus on the positives, such as the fact the most painful moment is over immediately and the procedure is how their hand goes back to looking and feeling normal.

When will I feel better?

We all want to ask the next ranking authority on health when things will get back to normal. For kids, they ask their parents. For parents, they ask the doctor. While giving a precise answer is usually impossible, estimates can be easily conjured for common colds, allergic reactions, cuts, and bruises. A doctor can provide a more detailed prognosis if there is a more serious medical issue at play.

Parents are usually the first people to field health questions raised by their children. While you might not be able to provide the expert opinion of a doctor, you can probably give your curious kid enough to think about for a little while. When questions about health are the result of poor health, the inability to offer an answer is an answer itself: seek professional treatment as soon as possible!