Monday, October 6, 2014

Diabetes at Middle School - A View From The Cool




My youngest daughter is having a great sixth grade year.  The kind of year that brings about a lot of chatter while constantly exuding happiness and excitement.  Suddenly, everything she thinks about is shouted at me in various forms of  'Mom, YOU HAVE GOT TO HEAR THIS... ' or 'Did I tell you ABOUT HOW I DID THIS'.... 'MOM, LOOK AT THIS!'

My personal favorite is 'OMG Mom!  Today at school, there was this kid and guess what he did?  He ........ '.

You can fill in the blank with whatever you think the kid did because I am pretty sure that the kid did indeed do it.  (Let's have a moment of silence for those teachers in thanks for all that they do!).

I cherish these moments and I am so happy that she is choosing to let me into her world.  I want to hold that close and enjoy it while it lasts.

Especially when she shares with me the very best of all her stories.

In her sixth grade homeroom, her teacher, Ms. M, has been incorporating diabetes into the class service learning program.  For the past four years, Ms. M has done this voluntarily as she has a personal connection to T1d within her own family.

For a grade level that be full of students that simply want to blend in, having something (anything) can be a catalyst to feeling like you are not part of the group.

Even with the best preparedness, T1d has the potential to that giant red flag to feeling like you do not fit in.

But because of this teacher and her gentle way of incorporating life and T1d, this is not the case.

As of last night, youngest daughter came home once again with an excited look on her face and said, 'MOM!  YOU HAVE GOT TO HEAR THIS!  I AM A CELEBRITY WITH MY INSULIN PUMP.  KIDS LOVE THIS INSULIN PUMP.  THEY THINK IT IS SOOOOO COOL THAT I GET TO CARRY THIS AROUND! OMG!  MOM!  DID YOU HEAR THAT?  IT IS SOOOOOOO COOL!'

She pauses and smiles.

'Which means, Mom.... I AM SO COOL!'




2 comments:

Need A Nap2 said...

I'm glad her pump is making her cool (even though she was already!). We're having our first bit of exposure, we homeschool so haven't had much until now, our oldest is on a swim team this year and some of the kids are asking about her pump. They really want to know what is beeping in her locker (the t:slim can be a bit loud)!

Naturally Sweet Sisters said...

Oh those beeps! Yes, a give away that something is happening. Ironically though, most kids think it is super cool that someone has a pump. I bet the T-slim with all it's pretty touchscreen casings seems even more exciting!!!