A 10-Year-Old Diabetic Boy Does Not Know How To Refuse Pizza At A Party. What Should A Parent Advise The Boy?

July 1, 2009— -- Question: A 10-year-old diabetic boy does not know how to refuse pizza at a party. What should a parent advise the boy?

Answer: Chronic illnesses are difficult for kids as well as adults. For kids in particular, it may affect their self-esteem, their ability to care for themselves, their feelings about their body and whether or not they can be a part of a group or whether they're isolated. So those are the general things we have to be thinking about.

Now for diabetes it's complicated because the boy has to learn to take care of his nutritional needs, be aware of medications, be aware of swapping foods at different times, and it is complicated. The parents should talk with this boy about the diabetes and try to help him understand that it's not shameful to have an illness. That everybody's got something. That many of his friends have asthma, allergies, headaches, stomach problems, and why not talk with them about it? Why not let them know that he's got diabetes and explain what it means so that he can feel okay about what his issues are and he doesn't have to hide it or feel apart from the group?

He's going to have to learn how to say no and feel okay about it and have his friends understand. And believe me, for a 10-year-old is very hard, but wait until he's an adolescent, and he's going to have pressures to drink or to eat at all hours of the day and night. And he's gonna have to learn how to take care of himself and to be a part of the group, but be able to say no in even more extreme circumstances than at age 10. So the best way to start is to start early and help him learn the ropes and prepare for the rest of his life.