Raising Happy Diabetic Kids

This is the first in a series of articles I am about to embark upon concerning this subject. As my family gets older and matures with this disease I think back to the early days and wonder why aren't we all on medication for depression? Why don't we have standing twice a week appointments with a psychiatrist? How did we end up so normal?(whatever that is) As I look back this didn't happen by accident, nor am I Super Dad, and I didn't plan it out step by step. It was mostly just paying attention, luck, and decent communication between my girls and me, granted sometimes at the top of our lungs.

The first thing I suggest you do is very important. Remember, our children are who they had in mind when they coined the phrase "monkey see monkey do". Trust Yourself! It's okay to do it your way. There're three components to raising happy kids, diabetic or not. They are Self-Confidence, Self-Reliance, an Self-Control. The more of these components your monkeys see in you, the more of these components you will see in your monkeys! I'm going to put out some ideas here but you're the boss of your situation. Do it your way.

Upon reading the three components you might ask "but where is self esteem?" I'll save that particular ramble for another day. Let me just assure you that if your child has self-confidence, self-reliance, and self-control then self-esteem comes naturally.

What is Self-Confidence? Self-Confidence is:

Trusting your ability to form and sustain relationships

Trusting your ability to complete various tasks well, knowing that others value your abilities

Trusting your ability to manage new siuations

Trusting your own judgements and common sense

As you can see trust is a key element of self-confidence. When our children don't have that measure of consistency and predictability in their lives it becomes difficult for them to gain the necessary trust either in themselves or in others to become self-confident. So if our children see that the people who are most important to them (us as parents) trust them and will provide them with a consistant environment, they will begin to trust themselves, their judgements, and those of the people around them. This is the beginning of common sense.(Yahoo!)

How do our children acquire Self-Confidence? Self-Confidence comes from:

Being accepted for who you are

Having someone show confidence in you

Knowing there is something you are good at

Having firm expectations of other people's behavior

Not being afraid of failure

Developing competence with the saftey of a parent close by

Seeing others you admire and copy, being confident and happy

It seems so easy when you write it down. When you think about it three main components have to be in place: Trust and Predictability, competence, and sociability.

Trust and Predictability - We all know that routines are important for developing feelings of trust and security. Think about the routines and relationships between you and your family and friends. How much do they keep to a pattern? Will your child begin each day with a reasonably clear idea of what will happen and when?

Competence - Being good at things. We all have different talents and abilities. We need to help our children identify the things they are good at and encourage them. These skills fall into a couple of different catagories.

Practical: Seeing how to make or mend things, and build things

Physical: Good at sports, kicking or catching a ball, swimming, running

Mental: Good ideas about things, good at solving practical problems, good at schoolwork

Social: Good at playing with others, kind and considerate, good at making new friends

Process: Being good at tying new things, sticking with difficult tasks and so on

Sociability - Trust and develope their social skills. Involve them moderately in your social life. If we have our children with us it shows not only are we happy to have them with us but also that we trust they will behave appropriately. Getting used to being in new situations, and learning to talk to different people will increase our children's confidence considerably. Here's one that took me a while to figure out. Give your child advance warning of your feelings, of short temper, tiredness, sadness, or whatever. "I've had a lousy day at work and I'm very crabby. It might be smart to keep your head down and your mouth shut." Or "I've had an argument with so and so and I'm feeling hurt. If I'm short with you I'm sorry." This not only teaches them techniques for managing their own feelings, but gives them a chance to learn sensitivity to the feelings and moods of others. These are essential social skills not only for now but for later on in life.

Our children will develope self-confidence only if we have first shown trust and confidence in them and have given them an environment where they can predict and trust. Diabetes and all of the unpredictability, feelings of powerlessness, and exclusion that sometimes go with it just make this process that much more difficult. I look at it like if it was easy any idiot could do it. Well, we're not just any idiot. We're special idiots. We have been entrusted with the care and upbringing of a diabetic child. So remember you are a special person entrusted with a very special task. Trust yourself. It's okay to do it your way.

In the next issue I'll take a look at Self-Reliance.

Russell Turner is the father of a 10 year old Type 1 Juvenile Diabetic daughter. When she was first diagnosed he quickly found there was all kinds of information on the internet about the medical aspects of this dsease. What he couldn't find was information about how to prepare his family to live with this disease. He started a website http://www.mychildhasdiabetes.com and designed it so parents of newly diagnosed children would have a one-stop resource to learn to prepare for life with diabetes.

---

Better Links Directory

Can We Do More for Diabetics? New Research Suggests that We Can

Diabetes can briefly be defined as a state when the... Read More

Discover the Positive Effects of Exercise for Diabetes Sufferers

There are two main types of diabetes, type I and... Read More

Revolutionary Lancet Device for Diabetic Glucose Testing

Now you can reduce the pain and inconvenience of testing.... Read More

Diabetes: Calling For Double Trouble!

Diabetes!!!Open your eyes to the catastrophic effects of Diabetes. The... Read More

Diabetic Neuropathy

Diabetic Neuropathy, a nerve disorder caused by diabetes, is characterized... Read More

How Do You Know If You Have Diabetes?

Diabetes mellitus is a disorder characterized by the inability of... Read More

Insulin Resistance And Complex Carbohydrates

One of the biggest mistakes that weight loss failures make... Read More

Diabetes: Diabetics Fight Back

Many cases of diabetes go unnoticed or unchecked before a... Read More

Type I Diabetes: Insulin-Dependent Diabetes

Type I diabetes is also known as insulin-dependent diabetes or... Read More

Have Diabetes, But Enjoy Quality Food? Try Diabetic Recipes!

Having diabetes certainly limits some of the food you can... Read More

What Is Diabetes?

Your doctor may have recently advised you have diabetes. Or... Read More

Treating Painful Diabetic Peripheral Neuropathy

The toes burn and tingle and sharp pains shoot into... Read More

Diabetes Awareness: Ill Wait til it Hurts

By the time many type 2 diabetics (and often their... Read More

The Subconscious Diet Can Help Protect Your Child From Type 2 Diabetes

Until obesity became epidemic, type 2 diabetes was virtually unheard... Read More

Normal Blood Sugar Levels ARE Possible for a Diabetic!

What are normal blood sugar levels? Fasting (blood sugar level... Read More

Syndrome X - What Is It And Have You Got It?

Syndrome X or the X factor as it is sometimes... Read More

Diabetes... Sweet Story of Healing

In a time not too long ago, there lived a... Read More

Improper pH Balance Increases Risk and Damage of Diabetes

THE RISKBlood sugar balance is critical to your body's proper... Read More

Raising Happy Diabetic Kids Part II

This is the second article in a series I am... Read More

Double Diabetes -- Placing Your Kids at Even More Risk

In some medical circles it's called Type 3 Diabetes. Teenagers... Read More

Tools to Manage Your Diabetes

It's estimated that in the US, over 18 million people... Read More

Humulin or Lantus, Which Insulin For Your Child?

Humulin or Lantus? When my daughter, who was 8, was... Read More

Diabetes And The Long Term Dangers

Diabetes has hidden dangers that begin before diagnosis and continue... Read More

Diabetes and Fitness

There are two main types of diabetes, type I and... Read More

Diabetes

Meal planning includes choosing healthy foods, eating the right amount... Read More