Should an 11yo be responsible for taking her daily medication?

[KatyMac]

DD has had asthma medication since she was 3

She IS very good about taking it - takes it well & responsibly

But over the last few weeks has become erratic (probably due to illness/Christmas & the holiday)

So DH & I got up late today & pottered round upstairs, we came down at lunchtime to find she hadn't taken her medicine

Is this punishable? Should it be? At what stage is it her problem? Baring in mind we get all the fallout when she gets ill

I am so frustrated

I don't think it's punishable as such. Both of my kids are asthmatic and they've both been through a stage of denying their asthma and 'forgetting' to take their meds. I'm never quite sure whether they reall do forget or if they just get sick and tired of doing it.

As they've grown older they have realised that their meds keep them well and now DD is 18 she's very good at taking it but for years I had to always double check with her that it was done.

How about a 'No X til you've done your meds' rule?

Not punishable but I think you have already id'd the problem - lack of routine over Xmas/illness

Gentle reminder every morning - "don't forget to take yor meds when you brush our teeth"?

Not punishable - you don't want her to use the meds as a means of winding you up which she could do it it becomes an obvious source of frustration to you .

She is more than old enough to be responsible for it she just needs to get into a routine eg can it be kept by her toothbrush to be done in the morning after cleaning her teeth?

DS1 had to self-inject medication daily for 2.5 years from the age of 6- if he can do it so can your DD.

Little children with diabetes have to self-inject, often at school where they just can't be reminded by their parents often from the age of 5 or 6. Its a life threatening thing for them maybe you could point that out to her.

Had a bit of a chat

She didn't think people died of asthma 'anymore' I explained that was because people took their medicine

Who know it may have gone in

That sounds a bit like the approaching of teenage attitudes. I am wondering myself how my dd (12) will reach to her health problems when she moves further into her teens. I expect there will come a point where she rebels against them. Being a teen is about rebelling after all. So don't be too confrontational. I don't think it's about being too little to remember: it's about growing up.

AM wondering if hiding your head in the sand is typical for this age group. Dd was desperate for us to move abroad because she thought she could start a new life away from her disability. As if.

No this is not punishable. It is hard to remember to take medication every day (at any age). Gentle reminders and encouragement are appropriate throughout life when you are sharing a roof with someone else.