- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- recipes today articles
- recipes today q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Finger Pricks, Insulin and Occasional Indulgences
Parenting a Diabetic Child
By Donna Verry Dee
While it's true that most children do not engage in a regimented daily exercise routine, a raucous game of tag or a couple of spins around the block on a bicycle can do the trick. However, the tendency toward sedentary pastimes like Nintendo and its ilk has put a damper on many children's activity levels. "We used to get lots of calls after Christmas that children's blood sugar was low because they were all out sledding," says Dr. Siminerio. "That doesn't happen much anymore."
But while serious, long-term complications like blindness, kidney failure and nerve damage lurk in the minds of any parent of a diabetic child, a recent nationwide study completed over a 10-year period shows that if people keep their blood sugars as close to normal as possible, they can reduce their risk of developing some of these complications by 50 percent or more.
In the end, parents of children with diabetes have the same basic goal as any other parent. As Goin puts it, "I am working really hard at making sure my child has the love for himself that will make him always want to take care of himself even when he is a grown man."
|
