BY BRANDY DAVENPORT, CO-BLOGGER
Ahhhhh… summer. The ups and downs of a changing schedule. Don’t fret — school is right around the corner. That’s music to many moms’ ears, but not so much for my son. Each season comes with its own set of difficulties, and each year can be so different from the next.
There is much to prepare for in the lead up for school days with diabetes. Later in this blog I will give some practical tips that help navigate all things needed for a successful school year. And you can also read “Diabetes at School: 7 Things to Help You Prepare” on this blog site. But first, let’s talk about God’s provision over our kids when we can’t be with them.
The First Day Of Kindergarten
I cried the first day of kindergarten. That can be expected for most moms, but this was my second child, and I was crying for very different reasons than most. We were switching to a new school, a new nurse, and a new schedule. School days with diabetes are hard even without these things.
I typically love change, but not in the realm of diabetes. (Can I get an Amen?!) The school nurse wasn’t particularly warm and fuzzy, and I really didn’t feel 100% confident. I did all the things I needed to do to set him up for success, but I couldn’t prepare for the unknown events of a school day. I knew him best, and it was so hard for me to trust someone new.
Looking to Scripture
But let’s look at the truths we find in God’s Word:
The Lord directs the steps of the godly. He delights in every detail of their lives. Though they stumble, they will never fall, for the Lord holds them by the hand.
Psalm 37: 23-25
What a great comfort this verse in Psalm 37 brings me. God is watching over my son as he goes through every detail of his school day. His blood sugars won’t be a perfectly straight line on his CGM graph, but God will not let him fall. The Lord is with him, and with me.
When I would get anxious about the double-arrow-down playground moments, I would visualize the Lord with my son on the playground and walking with him to the nurse. Closing my eyes and praying is what got me through. Fast forward three years later, and I rarely even check to see how his blood sugars are doing at school. What a drastic change! Trusting in the school nurse and in Jesus are the only things I have control over.
What can bring you comfort when you take your child to be in someones else’s care? Maybe it’s not school but a sleep over? What could you visualize to bring you more peace in those scarier moments?
Getting Practical on school days with diabetes
Some of the practical things that have helped me prepare for a type one in a school setting are:
- Scheduling a meeting with the school nurse and his teacher prior to school starting.
- Setting up a “tackle box” with everything he needs with labels.
- Having a mini fridge in the classroom so he doesn’t miss as much class time to treat a low.
- Using a small notebook to communicate to the school nurse his carbs for lunches and snacks, and she can write down insulin given and any lows that were treated.
- Emails. Lots of emails. We are always tweaking because what worked quarter 1 at school may not work in quarter 3.
- The nurse continues to teach my son to learn how to care for himself.
- Having a 504 plan and an IEP set up every year ready to go.
- Letting the bus driver know that my son needs to sit close to the front and is allowed to call me if needed, and that he also can eat snacks on the bus.
- Preparing my son every summer with something new to learn regarding his diabetes — as his body changes his diabetes changes.
Wanting to control diabetes when he is with me is bad enough, but having anxiety and waiting is harder when he is not with me. The Lord knows this and is waiting for me to come to Him in prayer throughout my day when I see blood sugar numbers I don’t like.
Although I still can’t control it, I am comforted that God is there with him, and that can help us all in the art of parenting a child with type 1.
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HELPFUL RESOURCES
Are you struggling with anxiety or worry about school days with diabetes? We have Bible reading plans that can help with just this thing. And you can download them for free today:
