Bringing in the Parenting Village at The Endocrinology Appointment

Today is our quarterly endocrinology appointment.

For weeks, the red encircled date on the kitchen calendar has been a reminder for all of us.

But please do not think that is negative.

What I have decided to share is a glimpse into how I am feeling about this particular appointment and how those feelings show me that we need to be there, perhaps more than ever.

Backing up a bit, the general consensus around here is that our girls have grown up a lot.  The little girl business appears to have basically closed down and been replaced with teen hotspot.  I know I have shared how life has changed considerably over the past few years, but even more as of late.  My girls have gained independence - not that they are out all hours of the night (eek! would they ever be????) but that they have their own activities, events and places to be - all without mom or dad. 

Part of me is crazy proud that we have built a life where the girls are ABLE TO LIVE FULLY while simply fitting T1D in.  However, the other part of me has some major worry over their maturity to REMEMBER to fit T1D so that they may continue to live that full life that they desire.

This is where that proverbial "It takes a village...." fits in.

I need our family to have a strong support group surrounding us.  Recognizing that it can not always be mom or dad dispensing the advice on how to maintain health while growing up, might be the most important step that I take to keep our girls on the right track.

During this past three months, there were some 'forgetting' moments and some 'off-SWAG counting' (Super Wild Ass Guesses) and our least favorite of all, 'ketones induced from bad pump sites'.

All of those issues happen in the world of Type 1 Diabetes.  For my girls to continue to be successful, we need to have ideas in place to prevent them and support to keep them feeling positive if and when they do.

This is a HUGE mind-shift for quarterly appointments.  I don't want our daughters to fear those honest discussions with their endocrinologist.  I want them instead to embrace the positive correlation of living better by attending an endocrinology appointment to be supported during their T1D journey.  

Looking at the red encircled date on the kitchen calendar has provided us with the sense of well-being.  Our 'Village' is going to be waiting with open arms for us this afternoon.

I can't wait to return the hug.