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My children are twins, a boy and a girl, who just turned six. My type 1 diabetes is twenty years old. Though I have gone a full two decades without any diabetes emergencies, I know that doesn\u2019t mean one couldn\u2019t happen. Since I homeschool my kids, if I ever were to need help, there\u2019s a good chance they would be present. They\u2019ve already been told to get help if I ever suddenly seem to be asleep, and I knew my kids were now ready for more information.<\/p>\n
I sat my children down one morning at the dinner table with a bowl of grapes, thinking the grapes might sweeten the conversation. I explained that there was always a small chance that I would need help with my diabetes and that if they were alone with me, I would need their help. This automatically alarmed my daughter. She said, \u201cWait, what happens if we mess up?\u201d I quickly jumped in to comfort her. \u201cNo, sweetie, this isn\u2019t really something you can mess up. In the case you ever see me unconscious, or if I seem asleep and you can\u2019t wake me, then I just need you to get help. \u201cOkay, how do we get help?\u201d she asked straightforwardly with her arms crossed on the table.<\/p>\n
I posted 911 and our address on the fridge. We practiced pretending to call 911 and what they might say to the operator. I let my children know that they could also run to the neighbor\u2019s house to get help. They know which of our neighbors are retired and usually at home. I also told them they could help put sugar in my mouth and rub it against my gums. I talked about how to administer glucose gel if I was already on my back, but I watched their eyes glaze over in fear, so I stopped.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhat would you be comfortable doing to help me?\u201d I asked.<\/p>\n
\u201cGetting the neighbor to help,\u201d my daughter said.<\/p>\n
My son agreed.<\/p>\n
I told them just rubbing some honey or jelly on my gums would be a big help. My son mentioned he would use only small amounts of honey or jelly so that I would still be able to breathe.<\/p>\n
Over the course of four days, we continued to talk about the \u2018what if\u2019s, and I began to understand what a fine line there is between empowering small children and terrifying them. I tried to lighten the load and put diabetes into a context that a six year old would understand. \u201cThink of it like falling down,\u201d I said. If I fell down and needed help getting up, you would get an adult to help me, right?\u201d This seemed to make sense to them. \u201cIt\u2019s the same with diabetes. I just need to get back up.\u201d<\/p>\n
I worked these kinds of simple discussions into meals and made sure the children seemed relaxed and open to the information. On the fourth day of our talks, my son asked the dreaded question. He said, \u201cMom, what happens if help doesn\u2019t get to you in time?\u201d<\/p>\n
I hesitated before I replied because it was a question I didn\u2019t want to answer.<\/p>\n
\u201cCould you die?\u201d my son asked.<\/p>\n
I didn\u2019t sugar coat it. I calmly looked him in the eyes and said, \u201cYes, that is a possibility.\u201d Then I added, \u201cBut I\u2019m not worried about that because I take precautions to avoid being in that much trouble.\u201d He looked at his sister, as though he wanted to see her reaction before revealing his.<\/p>\n
\u201cI teach you and your sister what you can do for me, just in case,\u201d I said. \u201cAnd knowing what to do can take some of our fears away.\u201d<\/p>\n
My son looked away from me and I watched his eyebrows furrow up and down. Then he spoke quietly and said, \u201cYou mean like how we keep band aids and other things in the house in case one of us gets hurt?\u201d<\/p>\n
I nodded, and my daughter, the optimist, jumped up, proud of her brother, and squealed, \u201cYes! That\u2019s what Mommy is saying. We know just in case and hopefully we never ever have to help her!\u201d<\/p>\n
At that moment I couldn\u2019t help but think of all the things I hoped they might one day help me with. I wasn\u2019t thinking of life saving, but rather of simple every day things like cleaning their room and washing their dishes. Then I burst out laughing at the way my mind segued from near death emergencies to daily chores. That\u2019s really what type 1 diabetes is like \u2013 the back and forth between low blood sugar and going about your daily routine as if nothing really happened.<\/p>\n
My daughter crossed her arms across her chest and asked why I was laughing. \u201cMom, be serious,\u201d she said. \u201cWe are talking about a serious thing.\u201d Yes, yes we are. I turned to my children and said, \u201cThank you both so much for being willing to help if I ever need it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cOf course, Mom!\u201d my daughter said.<\/p>\n
\u201cCan we go play now?\u201d my son added.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
I told was always a small chance that I would need help with my diabetes and that if they were alone with me, I would need their help. This automatically alarmed my daughter. She said, \u201cWait, what happens if we mess up?\u201d I quickly jumped in to comfort her. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":33,"featured_media":38106,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"image","meta":{"_relevanssi_hide_post":"","_relevanssi_hide_content":"","_relevanssi_pin_for_all":"","_relevanssi_pin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_unpin_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_keywords":"","_relevanssi_related_include_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_exclude_ids":"","_relevanssi_related_no_append":"","_relevanssi_related_not_related":"","_relevanssi_related_posts":"","_relevanssi_noindex_reason":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1430],"tags":[20],"yoast_head":"\n