Can mom have a piece of my birthday cake?

The other day, I asked my girls if they remembered the time before I was diagnosed diabetic. They didn't. It's been nearly 8 years now, so the girls were 7 and 5 back then. They don't know any better. They have seen me shoot up insulin, but even that, they don't recall. I have been pumping for nearly 4 years and the pump has become a part of me ever since, that they no longer see it as a strange object tangling on my body.

How many children know about carbohydrates or sweet 'n low? Mine do. Some things are no longer part of my diet, because of my slow digestion. In the beginning, our children would ask why I wouldn't eat a certain food. Then I would explain to them, how it affected my blood glucose. Now they no longer ask. They have become used to it.

Has my diabetes changed the life of our children? I'm not sure.. Would I serve them different meals if I had not been diagnosed? I'm not sure.. I don't think they miss out on anything. The only real difference in our household is, that we only have diet soda in the house (and some regular coke for hypo moments).

I ran into a very informative website. What if your beloved one has diabetes? What if your mom or dad has this condition? Would you know how to deal with that? Would you be devastated? Lost? Troubled? Anxious? Maybe all of these emotions would run through your head. It could be that you are the child of a diabetic parent.. It might be helpful to talk about it with other people, who know what it's like.

If you are a diabetic parent, you might want to consider buying the wonderful book: "Can mom have a piece of my birthday cake?" It will help you explain to your children why you do what you do.