Diabetes and a three year old

Children are amazing creatures.  They pick up on things that you don't think they can even understand.  My insulin pump was beeping at me last night because the canula was low.  Rhea says to me "Oh no Mommy, your diabetes is low, you better get a juice.  Don't worry I'll get it for you"  I can count on my hand the number of times I have said I am low to her but somehow she realized it was important and compartmentalized it in her brain.  She then went on to tell me that "Rhea doesn't have diabetes, Maggie doesn't have diabetes, Daddy doesn't have diabetes, Dukie doesn't have diabetes, only Mommy does"  Apparently she has been listening to me.  Having had diabetes since 1991 it is a huge part of who I am now.  I want to set a great example for my daughters  of what living with T1 diabetes looks like.  I want them to understand the disease but I don't want them afraid of it.  I have  often been asked "Aren't you afraid of giving it to them?"  Of course I am.  It is one of the stupidest questions anyone can ask me.  Oh course I worry about the health and safety of my children but I don't let the fear of diabetes control my life.  I am the only person in my family with diabetes of any kind.  No one has any form of diabetes at all.  Maybe I am just a fluke.  Maybe for me it is not genetic or hereditary.  Maybe it is just one of those things.  So I will let Rhea get my juice when my sugar is low.  Because there will come a day when the only juice in the house is an Elmo juice box and I am positive she will fight me tooth and nail for it.  And I will need her to understand it is medicine for Mommy and that I am not stealing her Elmo.  But just to be safe I have stocked up on glucose tabs.

Jaws

Every week when I pick Rhea up from daycare it is the same thing.  "Mrs. Wnukowski, can you please sign this incident report?  Rhea bit one of her friends again.  Don't worry, it is age appropriate."  And I know it is but it still doesn't take the sting away that I have that kid.  The one who is getting overly excited and is not willing to share.   I have compared notes with friends and their children are biting too.    When I picked Rhea up this past  Friday I had not one but two incident reports waiting for me.  The teacher informed me they have lovingly nicknamed her Jaws.  I know they were joking to try to make me feel better.  I know this because as I asked Rhea if she was biting her friends today she tried to bite me.  Then she bit herself.  It took so long for her teeth to finally come in,  I guess she is just really excited to us them.