Last week when I was home, one of the most important things that I wanted to do was spend time with my 4 “nieces” and also my niece. Let me explain that in detail quickly. My “nieces” are actually my cousins, but my aunt was more like a sister to me because of our closeness in age so her 4 daughters have always called me uncle. My actual niece is almost 6 months and she is my brother’s daughter. Ok, that is clarified. My “nieces” are 10, 8 and the twins are 4. The 10 year old knows that I have diabetes, but doesn’t totally get it (but I’m 25 and I don’t either). The 8 year old knows I have something, but not really sure, she used to just say that “Uncle Chris is sick.”
Well one day that I was there I took my pump out to bolus and one of the twins saw it and she said, “what is that?” So I thought, should I say, “it’s an insulin pump” or should I say something that it is medication for me. I decided to tell her that it was an insulin pump for my diabetes and that it keeps me healthy. I didn’t know exactly how to explain it that it would make sense. I thought about coming up with a way to use a Disney movie or something that she liked to have it make more sense for her, but the question never came back up again while I was home.
How do you explain it? I know there are mothers out there that read the blog, and fathers as well. How are you able to explain diabetes to small children, especially your children that are not diabetic.
Thank you in advance.
Not a mother. But I teach Sunday School and my kids are between 4 and 7 years old. I get questions sometimes if my pump beeps or I have to give a bolus. I don’t really know what to say other than that is my medicine and it keeps me from being sick and having to go to the doctor.
My baby sister just turned 14 and by the time she was 3, I was living out of the home so she wasn’t around alot. I know that, even now, she doesn’t totally understand diabetes. I answer questions if she has them. But it’s hard to know what’s acceptable and what’s not. I think it depends on the child, how they are related to you, how often you are around them, etc.
But if you ever figure it out for sure, please let me know. 😛
Yea, the beeping thing is like an automatic question and not just from kids but from adults as well. As soon as it beeps, people’s heads turn and start to wonder what the heck that thing was that is beeping, it’s quite funny at times.
I had this same situation with my niece. We just told her it was a special box that held my medicine. She asked why I needed the medicine in the box and we told her that it was a special medicine box, and the box helped push the medicine in me all the time to keep me from getting sick. She said “oh, ok” and that was that.
That is a good response. Normally they get over the question within 5 seconds, but she kept just looking at it and giving me this weird look and asked me like 10 times before I actually ended up giving her an answer.
I have a “niece” that just turned 4 and a nephew that will be 5. I expLained it both of them as soon as they asked about. As they grow their questions become more advanced as due my answers. I tell them that Aunt Tinas blood has trouble keeping the right amount of sugar in it. So I have to test all the time and make corrections. They of couse want to know why they don’t have to do it. I told them that they are super healthy and that my blood is sick which is why I have the pump. I didn’t want to go into the pancreas because they see the blood I used that. They love to help me press buttons but only when I say. They love telling everyone what my meter reads and if I say I’m tired or don’t feel good they bring me juice boxes. I think it’s really individual child how much info you give. Oh and when they worried because my blood was sick I told them that I was OK because the pump makes me feel better.
Explaining it to your nieces is probably different than explaining it to a child that has diabetes. However, Caleb was diagnosed just before he turned 4. We explained that his pancreas wasn’t working and it needed help. We told him that the pancreas is something else inside him like his stomach or heart that helps him live. We talked about what insulin does and that he needed it to turn food to energy and that because his pancreas was broken and wasn’t making it in the inside, we needed to give it to him from the outside.
We liken it to his brother’s eyes needing help and therefore he needs glasses. However, we also recognize that wearing glasses is very different than wearing an insulin pump and we make it clear that one is much more complicated and demanding than the other. I just don’t want Caleb to feel like he’s the only one in the house with something broken – we all have things that need help, albeit, his is much more intense.
hey Chris i think it’s a good moment to educate them, an honest and straightforward answer will do. I would just tell them that it’s not a toy but a medical tool that helps your uncle manage his sugar condition. and ask them to take care of their health and eat less sweet stuff.