Can I just say to all the mums posting -
My mum was so supportive of me when I was diagnosed and really looked after me. This was back in the day before any tech. It is only now as an adult that I realise, more and more the older I get, the huge weight of it on her.
The most amazing thing is all the work she did to keep me as healthy as possible is what is standing in my favour and I honestly believe that's why I am as healthy as I am now.
I do have some complications but they are manageable and in the grand scheme of things...well everything could be a hell of a lot worse. And I am so thankful every time I think of what my mum did for me because I truly believe things would have been a lot worse without her brilliant support.
Back in the nineties you were considered as having great control if your hba1c was under 7.5 as a child, I think it was 7 for adults. So I'm not talking about the perfect levels of hba1c lots of parents strive for now with their kids.
My mum took on so much of the burden of diabetes I really didn't feel how heavy it was at the time - I was free to be a child. And I am so thankful for that.
But she didn't shield me or lie to me, we talked about everything to do with diabetes and I did my own injections and was very confident at talking about my diabetes - she equipped me with that confidence about it.
It was still hard, but for me as a child and young teen it was so much lighter, because of my mum.
The worst period for me was as a young adult when she was very sick and dying and the years after her death. I was quite vulnerable and had far less support.
Your children will remember all you do for them with so much love and gratitude.