Can we change our way of thinking about our diabetes?

Many parents say that the hardest thing about having a child with diabetes is banning the sweets. And many adults with diabetes (myself included) feel hard done by because they can’t have as many cakes as they would like. **

We (people with diabetes –PWD) feel jealous of every person who can eat sweets and cake with reckless abandon! We think a child being able to have so many sweets that they make themselves sick is all part of growing up!

We let others love us and rewards with cakes, biscuits and sweets!

What if we changed this way of thinking?

What if instead of thinking “my child can’t have sweets” we thought “other children eat too many sweets”? Why can’t we find it acceptable to act all smug and pious with all the people around us who complain about not have any self-control and moan about their weight issues? Why can’t we say “I eat healthy and I’m proud of it”? Why don’t we tell our children (with or without diabetes) that we love them too much to let them have loads of sweets and that we want to make sure that they grow up to be healthy people?

Why don’t we encourage friends and family to love our children with their time instead of a packet of sweets? What young child wouldn’t love to cuddle up with Granny or Granddad and read a book or have loved ones take them to the cinema or the park?

I have diabetes and I have one sweet thing every day after my dinner (except on special occasions), I don’t see it as depriving myself, I see it as living well. I’m going to try not to feel guilty about it. My children live by the same “rule of sweets” and I seriously hope that the anti-glutinous moral is sticking.

Would this way of thinking change the world – probably not, but it might make the everyday struggle with diabetes a bit easier. Maybe?



** I have made some generalizations in this item but I would like to acknowledge that I do know not all people with diabetes feel the way I describe in the early paragraphs.