47:When You Want Your T1D Child’s Sibling to Help with Management
Manage episode 377494112 series 3391328
I’m so lucky this week to have Kaylor Glassman on the show. I know Kaylor through DYF, the organization that runs a diabetes camp in Northern California; she used to be the program director there. Now she has a business called Diabetes Support Partners, which is specifically designed to help families with a newly diagnosed child.
The question we’re tackling is about T1D siblings and about how much diabetes support we parents can ask of them. The parent writing in has a newly diagnosed 6 year old and wants help with diabetes management from her 15-year-old daughter. Is okay to ask for that support? Kaylor and I look at some of the ways that it’s challenging for siblings, especially in the first year after diagnosis. We talk about how siblings’ feelings and needs often are overlooked and what a parent’s responsibility is to notice and take care of that non-T1D child, even as they are challenged by the very steep learning curve of type 1.
We also talk about:
- How to think about the care the sibling is providing — is it a regular gig or an occasional ask that’s part of the normal help that family members provide each other? And if it’s a regular “job,” we talk about the advantages of paying a teen child for that help
- Ways to pay attention to a sibling’s experience and what the developmental needs are for a 15-year-old child
- How to balance a sibling’s needs while taking care of our T1D child in this first year
- The value of regular check-ins so the sibling’s needs are addressed
- Getting both practical and emotional support through connections in the diabetes community
- Helping a teen babysitter problem solve T1D issues that might come up
- Circumstances where you might not want to leave a sibling in charge
Mentioned in this episode:
Need help getting your kid the right snacks?
That's why I've created the Sweet Talk Snack Course. It's a free mini-course to give you 6 snack sized lessons on making sure you're giving your kid the right foods to keep them nourished and their blood sugar in check. Get it at https://diabetessweettalk.com
69 episodes