Shame
It's not unusual for a child to feel guilty or embarrassed about having diabetes. "I remember another mom telling me that when her son left the hospital he said, 'Mommy, I promise I'll be a good boy,'" says Arianna Lamosa, a volunteer for the Diabetes Research Institute Foundation’s PEP (Parents Empowering Parents) Squad. "He thought he was there because he was behaving badly, and that if he behaved the disease would go way. That broke my heart."
You may have to remind your child that sometimes bad things happen to good people. It also helps to encourage your child to be open about his condition so they understand that having type 1 diabetes is nothing to be embarrassed about.
Lamosa says that her daughter, who was diagnosed at age 3, gets her blood sugar tested by a nurse right in her classroom. "I don't make them pull her out, because I want her to know that there's nothing to be ashamed of," she explains. "People need to see you advocating for your own cause."
