Contents:
- Medical Video: Coping with a Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis
- Know your child's feelings
- Encourage health management
- Emphasize independence
- Don't forget his personality
- Focus on friendship
- Find ways to overcome bullying
- Correction of misunderstandings
- Tell friends, teachers and others about your child's diabetes
- Connect with other people who are dealing with diabetes
- Get help when you need it
Medical Video: Coping with a Type 1 Diabetes Diagnosis
After you learn to recognize your child's feelings, here are some tips for dealing with these emotions:
Know your child's feelings
Check your child regularly. Try to listen to what your child says before you get carried away by your own feelings. This type of communication does not always have to be verbal. Drawing, writing or playing music can help children with diabetes express their emotions.
Encourage health management
It is important to motivate children that when they take care of themselves and manage their diabetes, they can avoid undesirable things like additional injections or miss activities that their friends can enjoy. Your child may even want to ask questions to his own doctor.
Emphasize independence
This can be difficult, especially in the early days, but it is important to avoid overprotecting children with diabetes. Instead, encourage the same independence that you expect from other children. With encouragement and support from their parents, children with diabetes can be responsible for looking after them. This change has a positive effect, and builds trust.
Don't forget his personality
Does your child like to read, wants to be a soccer player, a student ranks 1, a humorous child, etc.? Remember that even if he has diabetes, this is only a very small part of your child's whole life. His life and personality are not defined by his illness.
Focus on friendship
Encourage your child to have fun with friends, which builds confidence and belonging. Your child should know that it's okay to discuss diabetes with his friends. Instead of focusing on one thing that makes him different from his friends, the child can focus on the similarities he has with his friends.
Find ways to overcome bullying
Sometimes children choose to be friends with friends who are also people with diabetes or who have other health problems. Your child may use the following methods to deal with other friends' ridicule or intimidation that makes him uncomfortable:
- Show courage, walk, and ignore bullies. Tell your child that when someone taunts him, walk away and ignore the taunt. Encourage your child to "walk confidently", head lifted (the type of body language sends a message that your child is not vulnerable).
- Use humor or give praise for replying to their ridicule. However, tell your child not to use humor to make fun of bullies.
- Use the system buddy. Get help from friends who can accompany your child and deal with bullies.
- Tell adults. If your child is being bullied, emphasize that it is very important to notify adults. Teachers, principals, parents, and other staff at school can give him help to stop it.
Correction of misunderstandings
Talk to your child that the diabetes that they just happen to happen is not a 'punishment' because they do bad things. Also, if your child feels that his diabetes is causing problems for you or your family, let them know that it is not their fault, so don't feel guilty. Instead, your child must focus on his own feelings about diabetes, not you.
Tell friends, teachers and others about your child's diabetes
Ask if your child wants other people to know about his diabetes. Children sometimes feel less embarrassed when they tell their close friends that they have diabetes. That way, they don't need to worry about what their friends think about when they go to UKS every day. The teacher and care provider must also know about your child's condition and how to manage diabetes (for example, if your child needs a break to test blood sugar or eat snacks at a certain time).
Connect with other people who are dealing with diabetes
Finding a support group for children and families with diabetes can help children feel not too different. These groups can also increase your confidence when you are dealing with diabetes and offer advice and tips on managing it. Your child's diabetes health care team may be able to help you connect with support groups in your area.
Get help when you need it
Be sure to contact your child's diabetes health care team to deal with emotional problems. They handle this all the time and can provide help to your child as well as advice for you. If your child shows signs of depression (such as prolonged or irritable sadness, fatigue, changes in appetite, or changes in sleep habits), talk to your pediatrician or mental health professional.
Every parent of a child with diabetes must deal with feelings related to the disease. Try to remember that in most children, negative feelings about diabetes can be skipped or change over time because they will adjust to living with diabetes.
