Our 10 year daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes about 10 months ago. She was very cooperative and doing what needs to be done. Lately, she is giving us a very hard time about checking sugars and getting insulin shots. I think now she is angry that she has diabetes and knows that it is not going to go away. Is this normal? Should she talk to a counselor?

Yes, it is normal for children to feel angry when they realize that the diabetes is not going away. Usually, the most important thing to do is to allow your child to express these concerns openly. For example, you might tell her that you are learning that lots of kids get really angry about how unfair diabetes is. Tell her that kids often ask themselves questions like “what did I do to deserve this”, or “why did this have to happen to me”, and that you were wondering if she thought these things. Once she opens up, be a good listener. Give her permission to have all of her feelings, and support her expression of them. Let her know that you have similar feelings.

The book, The Dinosaur Tamer, by Marica Mazur might also help your daughter. It’s published by the American Diabetes Association and has lots of short stories about kids who have diabetes. You might also enjoy the book, The Ten Keys to Helping Your Child Grow Up With Diabetes by Tim Wysocki, Ph.D.

JWB