When Your Child Has Diabetes & Learning To Let Go

These difficult emotions are compounded when a child is involved. In some ways, the parents and other children suffer most, as a sick child puts terrible pressure on family relationships. Shock is a common reaction for parents, along with guilt, particularly if there is a family history of diabetes, and the father or mother blames himself or herself for having passed it on. When the child is very young, he is unable to tell you how he's feeling, which increases the parents' anxiety. They may feel that there is no escape or time out if baby-sitters or grandparents are reluctant to take over, because they are worried about their ability to handle any problems which may arise, such as the child having a hypo. And they may fear that teachers, with a class full of other kids to worry about, may not be as vigilant of the child's wellbeing as necessary. Mothers, in particular, may feel strained, as their traditional role is to nurture the child – but now they are causing that child pain by injecting him every day or denying him the chocolate or sweets for which he's begging.

The reality of the diagnosis, usually sudden and unexpected, can take a year or more to sink in; a time in which the whole household has to adjust to a new routine of medication and blood-testing. Healthy siblings may feel jealous and left out with the parents' attention focused on the child with diabetes. The child himself is less likely to understand the full ramifications of the disease, but will pick up and possibly react badly to the family's distress.