40: Shouldn't They be Doing That on Their Own? (And More Questions about Food)

Sweet Talk for Parents of Kids with Type One Diabetes

With diabetes, there’s the independence dance: Sometimes our kids want to learn and grow into new tasks and responsibilities with their own self-care — and sometimes they’d rather hand it back to us. What makes this particularly hard is the chatter in our own heads. We parents worry when our kids take a step backward, thinking that we need to hold the line to ensure that our kids move only forward in their diabetes care.

In this week’s episode, I talk through this issue with Samantha, a mom who also happens to be a pediatric nurse. In her day job, she is confident in helping kids through their shots. What she found, though, is that as a mom of a newly diagnosed T1D kid, there were more challenges than she had imagined. Her daughter wanted to give shots herself but then got really fearful about how the shots hurt. The result was that each long-acting insulin shot became a 45-minute event. Unsure of what to do, Samantha wondered whether she should take back the responsibility for giving shots or insist that her daughter give them because she knows she can. Samantha and I talk about where that line around independence is when it comes to diabetes care. We also discuss the worries and dynamics that come up around a T1D kid’s food choices – especially when they are trying to minimize their shots.

Join us to also hear about:

• How to follow your child’s lead in terms of taking on next steps in diabetes management and care
• What to consider when our kids don’t want a pump or diabetes technology but when we think it might be best
• Why the risk for eating disorders is higher in people with type 1 and how to set up your child for success in their relationship to food
• Supporting good food choices with a child who wants to eat fewer carbs to avoid a shot
• Different ideas for rituals that might help kids with getting shots

For more on creating a balance with eating for your T1D kids, check out Sweet Talk’s free Sweet Talk Snack Course.

Stay tuned for our next episode of the Sweet Talk podcast! Like, subscribe, and share!

Mentioned in this episode:

Need help getting your kid the right snacks?

That's why I've created the Sweet Talk Snack Course. It's a free mini-course to give you 6 snack sized lessons on making sure you're giving your kid the right foods to keep them nourished and their blood sugar in check. Get it at https://diabetessweettalk.com