What is at stake in neurocritical care is the essence of what makes one human. As the primary nurturers and guides to their little humans, parents are essential to their children's well-being. Of relevance here is parents’ influence over their child's health during and after pediatric neurocritical care.

The challenges of parenting when a child is critically ill,1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 have been reported elsewhere, as have the importance and types of family-centered care and support in pediatric7,8 and adult critical care9 settings. While the connection between supporting parents while their children are in the pediatric intensive care unit (PICU) and the long-term outcomes of these children may be clear to some, what specific actions to take may not. We employ the post-intensive care syndrome concept to view the parents’ experience in the PICU and provide excerpts of raw messages from parents to their children's doctors that convey their needs and the actions required to address them in a way that summarized research surveys cannot. Lastly, we provide specific, practical recommendations to better support parents who have a child with neurocritical care illness that can be implemented immediately.