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When a child is diagnosed with diabetes, this affects the whole family. No, it does not mean that diabetes is an infectious disease. Rather it means that the changes you need to make to your child's dietary and life-style changes will affect everybody in the family. A kid with diabetes needs special care and you as a parent are responsible to provide it.
If nobody in your family has diabetes, it can be a bit of shock when your kid becomes diagnosed with diabetes. Don't worry, if managed properly, diabetes is not so dangerous and your kid can live long years and lead a normal life. If you or somebody else in the family has diabetes, chances are that you already know a lot about how to deal with this disease; if not – you will have to learn! But don't be afraid, it is not so difficult. First, you will need to learn how to monitor glucose level and how to make insulin shots. Second – but equally important – is to learn which foods are allowed and which are not. You will also have to consult a doctor about the recommendable physical exercises for your child. Finally, you need to learn how to provide emotional support to your kid because almost all children become depressed when they learn that they have a very special disease (in this case diabetes), which makes them different from the rest. Nowadays isolation of kids with diabetes is less of a problem because there are many sites for kids with diabetes. Also, there are many camps for kids with diabetes, so even if no other kid in your area or at school has diabetes, your kid can meet other kids with diabetes, with whom to play or to exchange information. However, have in mind that it is a very big mistake to teach your kid that because of his or her medical condition he or she is different from other kids! Modern medical theories recommend that kids with diabetes are socialized, rather than isolated from other kids, so you are not doing your kid a favor if you are overprotective or try to prevent him or her from contacts with his peers. If the child is 7-8 years old, he or she should have already learned that he or she mustn't eat sweets, ice-cream, etc. when out, so there is no need to worry that when the kid is outside, he or she might be tempted to get forbidden food. Teaching children with diabetes how to take care of themselves is one of the first things you must do when your child is diagnosed with diabetes or when he or she is 6-7 years and can understand the meaning of what you are teaching him. Kids are quite intelligent and they do understand when one is patient to explain to them. |
