In today’s episode, I talk with Tiffany, a mother whose 9-year-old daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes only a few months ago. Tiffany opened with her primary concern: the limitations her daughter might face in the future. Even though she couldn’t picture exactly what those limitations would be she fears diabetes will hold her daughter back.

Tiffany’s worries are a mirror of what so many T1D parents feel—we worry about the hurdles our kids are going to face. It’s easy to get caught up in the “what ifs” and overlook the “right nows.” So I brought Tiffany into the present, looking at the ways her daughter might have felt limited since her diagnosis and how Tiffany can respond to that.

Validation became the keyword of the discussion. I emphasized the importance of acknowledging the frustrations and limitations her daughter is currently facing — in the example Tiffany gave, it was about sitting out from PE, something we’re all familiar with. I work through a powerful validation tool with Tiffany that she’ll be able to use again and again as she parents diabetes, one that will keep her closer to her daughter’s experience, with the hope that that will help her daughter make a smoother adjustment to a life with type 1. It’s not foolproof, but it’s a way for our kids to understand that we’re alongside them.

Listen to hear more about:

• The nitty gritty of how to construct a strong validation of our kid’s experience
• Thoughts on how to stay close to our kids as they grow their diabetes responsibilities so we’re attuned to what they actually can manage.
• A discussion on the thin line between fostering independence and the risk of “diabetes burnout.”
• How powerful it is for a parent to be together with their child on their diabetes journey

Hope you enjoy!

In today’s latest episode, I answer a listener question that will resonate with most parents of T1D kids: the emotional and practical considerations of testing siblings for diabetes markers.

The decision to test siblings for diabetes markers is one that many families, including my own, approach with trepidation. The anxiety surrounding this decision is understandable. No parent wants to even begin to imagine another child facing the same challenges as their type 1. And so the question becomes: to test or not to test? Do I want to know? Should I want to know? Does knowing help? Or will I just feel more overwhelmed?

The discussion strikes a balance between the idea that knowing if a diagnosis is coming can be powerful — we can plan, and prepare, and possibly even help delay onset with new drugs like tZield. But we also need to be gentle with ourselves, choosing testing only when we feel ready to tolerate what the testing uncovers. I also tackle how we might have to protect our children from the enormity of that information, holding it lightly for their sakes, even as we prepare for the worst.

Of course, this decision remains a deeply personal one for each family. In this episode, I provide information, empathy, and understanding to help parents make the best choice for their children and their family’s overall well-being. Hopefully, listening will offer some perspective that will help ease the your burden of deciding.

Today’s show touches on a topic that’s close to many of our hearts—preparing our little ones for big life transitions. But as you know, when you’re the parent of a kiddo with type 1 diabetes, those transitions take on a whole new layer of planning and care.

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Rachel, a proactive mom who’s thinking months ahead about her son’s upcoming leap into kindergarten — and also about his horizon beyond.

As we delve into our conversation, we talk about ways that Rachel can best navigate the school system for her T1D son. I suggest she connect with other T1D families in her school so she can get a sense the inside scoop on how diabetes management works there. We talk about ways to partner with her son’s school care team to build a strong relationship with them (and I also give a nod to my upcoming workshop “Beyond the 504” where I teach about how to do just that). I also make suggestions of how she can bulletproof her son’s 504 plan, in order to maintain more parental decision-making authority.

Rachel is thinking even further ahead: She’s wondering about the challenge of transferring the responsibility of diabetes management to her child over the long run. It’s a dance between fostering independence and being there to catch them when they fall. And trust me, we all have stories about that part of the journey—like the one I share about my daughter’s path to managing her diabetes.

Here’s a sneak peek of other highlights from our conversation:

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• Why advocating for your child requires a balance of assertiveness and relationship-building.
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• Cultural insights into how women are often taught to communicate, and the challenges we face around advocacy because of that.
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• Personal anecdotes that highlight the emotional aspect of slowly passing the baton of diabetes care to our kids.
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• The invaluable role of environments like diabetes camps in fostering self-care and independence.
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I hope you join me for this powerful episode, where we celebrate the courage and dedication of parents like Rachel, who are laying the groundwork for their children to thrive in school and in life, despite the challenges of T1D.

Remember, sweet friends, our journey is sweeter when we walk it together. Keep talking, keep loving, and keep advocating for those sweet ones in our lives.

Mentioned in this episode:

Wanting to create the best relationship with your child’s school care team? Register for Beyond the 504. In this workshop, I’ll walk you through evidence-based tools to approach your child’s school so you can can have the tough conversations you need to have about diabetes management and keeping your child safe at school. Find out more at www.diabetessweettalk.com/workshop