When I was a Special Education teacher I was taught discuss the child first and the disability second. No labeling was what I got out of that. Now that I have a child with diabetes, I tend to follow the same wave of thinking. While Type 1 diabetes is not a disability, it is an autoimmune disease, I still chose to talk about my son first and his disease second. No labeling.<\/p>\n
When I talk about my son to people that know him certain images are conjured up in their mind’s eye. These images are as follows:<\/p>\n
These are just a few of the attributes that make up my son. There are many more, too many to list, but I think you get the picture from this list. He is a really good boy, on many different levels.<\/p>\n
Now, when you hear the word diabetic on the news or an advertisement there are certain images that are tossed around in your mind’s eye. These images are as follows:<\/p>\n
You may be thinking to yourself that this list is a little harsh, but take a moment next time Wilford Brimley is on the television talking about ‘diabeetus’ supplies. What images are conjured up in your mind? I can guarantee that the first list of my son’s attributes are no where in site. While the entire second list may not enter your mind either, there is definitely more of the second list present, whereas my son’s list isn’t even in the same hemisphere.<\/p>\n
I know there are moms of children with Type 1 diabetes that call their children diabetics. That is their choice. I choose to call my son by his given name, and then add in that he has Type 1 diabetes if the situation calls for it.<\/p>\n
I choose not to call my son a diabetic for his sake also. I don’t want him to associate himself with the second list either. Yes, complications may be in his far future, and we do test his sugar many, many times a day, but he is so much more. I want him to tell people he is a good swimmer, or a good story teller, or even a bad football player, but I never want him to tell people he is a diabetic. Diabetes does not describe, define, or do justice to any part of my son. To take away my son’s name and to call him a diabetic\u00a0 just seems like a injustice to my son.<\/p>\n
My son is not and will never be defined by his diabetes. He is his own person, a fantastic little boy, who happens to have Type 1 diabetes.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
When I was a Special Education teacher I was taught discuss the child first and the disability second. No labeling was what I got out of that. Now that I have a child with diabetes, I tend to follow the same wave of thinking. While Type 1 diabetes is not a disability, it is an … <\/p>\n