Overcoming Overprotectiveness: Part One; Testing on their own

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 As parents we know the day will come when we have to "Let Go" and allow our children the freedom to make their own choices, do their own thing, and take care of themselves even with diabetes.  The time will come when we have to let our child go to that friend's house for a sleep over, or the field trip with their school.  Your instincts tell you to say "No", and you'll tell yourself it's because your child won't remember to check their blood sugar, or give themselves insulin, his friend's parents or the chaperons on the field trip won't remember to keep up with their management schedule.  So you end up saying "No".  

When you have a child with a chronic disease such as Type one diabetes it is easy and understandable for you to want to "Hold on" a little longer.  These concerns are not to be dismissed, but; rather addressed.  Letting go is not easy and does not happen overnight but like it or not it has to happen, so when do you start to let go, and how?  

 The first suggestion would be to acknowledge that you are being overprotective.  Ask yourself this question: Do I do everything for them?   Thinking about their diabetes management, do you let them test themselves, or administer their own shots or pump instructions?

If your answer is yes, I do everything for them: then you have to make the first move and stop doing so much for them; give them the opportunity to prove to you that they are ready and capable of taking care of themselves.  Suggestion number one is discussed below:

• Begin telling them that it is time for them to learn to take responsibility for their own health.  
• Let them test their blood sugar.  By now they should have a general idea of how to do it, so now all you have to do is walk them through it; but; let them do it, DO NOT do it for them.
• Discuss with them the times they are suppose to test their blood sugar and how important it is to be diligent in doing so.  IE: upon waking up, before lunch, dinner and bedtime.  We know these are the basic times they need to test their blood sugar so start here.  

Once they know the ground rules give it a day or two.  When they wake up wait and see how long they take to test their blood sugar, (of course it is crucial to do so in a timely matter, so don't hesitate to remind them if you feel you need to).  However; be mindful of the time frame; this will give you a general idea of how ready they are for the responsibility.  

We'll stop here for now, coming up next:  Part two: Preparing them for counting their own carbohydrates.  Until next time be patient it is not as hard as it seems.