Today is dating tips with a chronic illness. Since this doesn't apply to me I'll talk about some of the ideas I have running through my head and how I will touch on this topic when my 13 starts dating...in like 20 years! Just kidding...kinda...no, but really a friend of mine is going through this with her diabetic teen daughter.
The first date!!
What to do...who to tell...do I have lettuce in my teeth or cheese in my braces!?
I can only imagine how nerve racking this must be. First dates are notoriously terrifying when you are 15 or 16 add diabetes into the mix and whoa!! Sure fire explosion...OR is it?
I think the best way I will approach this is WITH my daughter. We will start having conversations now not 15 minutes before *he* comes to pick her up. What does dating look like to a person with diabetes? What does it look like to parents of diabetic teens? Full disclosure of what diabetes is? Call the other teens parents? Crash course to potential date that scares him off and ostracizes your daughter from ever dating? Hmm...that might be tempting...no, insurance only covers so much therapy that she would most assuredly need from me being the most awful mother on the planet!
It's easy now. She doesn't date. All the kids in her 7th grade class know she is a type 1 diabetic.But when she goes to high school with new students they won't all know she is. Look, I don't have the exact answer for you. What works for me may not work for your family. I envision Nora and I sitting down and developing a plan of attack. I don't want to embarrass her by telling too much. It's her disease after all. But I DO want her date to know what's up should she need assistance with a low, why she is pricking her finger and what is that *beeper* looking thing on her hip. I figure I'll start talking about it now. Sure, I'll get the eye roll and the MOOOM!! But I'd rather go into this dating era ready and armed as much as I can be.
For those of you that know me you may remember I have an older daughter too with Type 1. Definitely dating age. The plus is she's been dating her boyfriend since their sophomore year of high school and have celebrated their 4 year dating anniversary this past February. I'm lucky. He's a great kid and they were already established by the time Evelyn was diagnosed. Added plus...he's going to school for nursing!! All that aside, Evelyn was old enough to let him know what diabetes is, what she needs to do and what he needs to do in case she needs help with a low.
I'm interested in your thoughts. What has worked for you? What hasn't? I would love to hear some feedback on this one! Let me know!!
