Parenting & Family Life

---

Diabetes affects the whole family -- parents and siblings as well as the child with diabetes. It may also have some impact on your parenting choices and on the relationships between family members.

In general, your kids will take their cue from you. If parents treat diabetes in a matter-of-fact way, your kids and others will follow suit. After the initial adjustment, diabetes can become just another part of what makes your family unique.

Parents should ...

Learn about diabetes

As you learn more, you'll feel more confident about caring for diabetes and you'll be able to explain diabetes to your child (and others) more easily.

Talk about it

You're trying to remain strong and upbeat for your child's sake, but you need to talk about your feelings and reactions to diabetes, too. Make some time to talk with your spouse, a close friend, or a counselor.

Do your favorite things

Further Reading... With Real Life Parenting of Kids with Diabetes you can gain valuable insights into the 7 things every parent should do for their child and help your child live life like other kids. For more books on parenting, click here.

Just as diabetes shouldn't hold your child back, it shouldn't hold you back, either. Give yourself the gift of time -- time to do things you enjoy, time for you and/or your spouse to get away from it all, time to just play with your kids without worrying about diabetes. It may take a little more planning, but you can do it.

Work as a team

The whole family can pitch in to care for your child's diabetes. Both parents should know how to give shots, check blood glucose, interpret blood glucose results, and treat hypo- and hyperglycemia. Depending on age, siblings can also keep a watch for hypoglycemic symptoms, help write blood glucose results in the logbook and even learn how to check blood glucose. The more support your child has from the rest of the family, the easier it will be to stay on track in her diabetes care. Participation in diabetes care by the rest of the family can also help prevent "diabetes burnout" in your child or in the parent most involved in diabetes care.

Marriage, Single Parents, & Siblings
Diabetes is a major family event. Learn how diabetes can affect marriage, single parents, and siblings.

Resources

Just for Parents (PDF)
Get tips and advice on dealing with parenting a child with diabetes.