Adjusting to your child’s diabetes diagnosis can take time and young children often have difficulty understanding the sudden changes, like insulin injections and food restrictions, that now take place. But your job, as their parent, is to make sure they learn that diabetes is an illness that can be successfully managed.- Depending on age, encourage them to participate in their daily care and encourage active self-care.
- Let them find their own strengths and weakness with the illness, don't try and solve every thing for them.
- Try and avoid being over protective as it can damage their self esteem.
- Tell friends, teachers and other people about the diagnosis so your little one won’t feel like they are explaining it to everyone they meet.
- They may go through a series of emotions after a recent diagnosis such as embarrassment, anger and resentment so get them to talk to you about how they are feeling.
- Learn as much as you can about the illness together; the more you learn the less your kiddie will fear it.
- Your child may benefit from a support group. Ask their doctor if there are any groups, specifically for kids, available locally.
While you may feel anxious, upset or even helpless never let them see, approach the diagnosis with a relaxed attitude, as kids learn from their by their parent’s behaviour.
