What if my children get diabetes?

When I was looking for research on what was in store for me when I got pregnant with my first child I came across discussions about where or not people with diabetes should have children.


It’s a genuine question, after all, there is a 2% risk (if you’re female and 6% if you are male) of passing Diabetes on to your children. The people asking it were people with diabetes and they were considering all the negatives and positives.


Some decided they didn’t want to take the risk and others never even considered not taking it.


So now I have my two wonderfully, healthy children but I still live with the concern that either one of them or both might someday be diagnosed with diabetes.


What would I do if this happened? I’ve thought about this a lot so I think I have a good idea of what I would do and feel.


First and foremost I would always feel the guilt that it was my fault they got diabetes and nothing would ever change that. It would always be there but that’s no way to live and I don’t need to have extra guilt loaded on me by my children so I would keep it hidden.


Then I would apologise to my child for the world being unfair.


Next, I would start teaching diabetes and build team “me & my child” and that’s the way it would be until my child decided that she wants to be more independent. But he or she will always be reminded that I am there and my experience is to be used for his/her advantage and vice versa.


Initially, (s)he would learn how to handle diabetes but eventually it would evolve into a learning from each other experience. So if the worst ever does happen – it won’t be the worst.