Why I Wrote Growing Into It

Helping Children Ages 8–12 Navigate Congenital Heart Disease

There is a moment that arrives quietly in many congenital heart disease families. It usually happens somewhere between the ages of eight and twelve.

Until then, most children with CHD experience their condition through the world their parents create for them. Parents manage the medical conversations. They translate complicated information into something simple and reassuring. They carry the weight of worry so their child does not have to.

But as children grow, something begins to change.

Around this age, children start asking deeper questions. They begin noticing differences between themselves and their peers. They start to understand that the heart condition they were born with is not just something their parents talk about with doctors. It is part of their own story.

That stage can be difficult to navigate. Parents want to protect their child, but they also want to prepare them. They want their child to grow up informed and confident, not frightened or defined by their condition.

I wrote Growing Into It because this moment deserves guidance.

Families facing congenital heart disease often receive extraordinary medical care, but emotional and developmental guidance for children themselves can be harder to find. Parents often ask how to talk to their children about congenital heart disease in a way that is honest, age-appropriate, and empowering. I wanted to create something calm, thoughtful, and supportive that families could use during this stage of development.

The years between eight and twelve are a time when children begin “growing into” their understanding of the world, and into their understanding of themselves. For children with congenital heart disease, that process includes learning how their heart works, what their condition means, and how to carry that knowledge without letting it define their future.

You can read the full guide here:
https://www.heartbeatforward.org/helping-children-with-chd-ages-8-to-12

My hope is that this guide helps families move through that stage together with confidence, openness, and compassion.

If it helps even one child feel stronger in their story, and one parent feel less alone in guiding them, then writing it was worth it.

With deep respect,
Adrian Adair
Founder, Heartbeat Forward