Let Her Eat Cake

For the past two years, Sweetpea has been in preschool. She attends a public preschool that is in the same elementary school building where I teach. Her classroom is a special needs classroom. There are a certain number if children with special needs and a certain number of typically developing students. (Sweets is a "typical" if you were wondering...) Part of their preschool program is a snack.

*sigh*

I hate snack. From a diabetes perspective, anyway. If it wasn't for diabetes... Because I love the way they all help passing out the food or utensils. I love how it helps them learn manners and politeness. They really do learn so much!

I have been so very fortunate because her teachers have been so wonderful and willing to do ANYTHING to help Sweetpea and manage her diabetes. They are always willing to move snack to whenever it best works for Sweets. I may handle the actual insulin administration, but they test her bg and count carbs and measure food... They have done a phenomenal job!

Our only "situation" in two years happened rather recently. And it had NOTHING to do with her teachers.

The school provides a "snack" for the preschool children. This is great! I don't have to pack her something and it encourages her to try things she might not at home. The cafeteria ladies work very hard and they deal with a lot of different needs- severe milk and peanut allergies, students who can not eat pork, students who are vegetarians or vegans...

In some cases, the cafeteria will offer a "substitution" for children who can not eat what is being served. For instance, they will offer pineapple instead of apple cobbler for those allergic to milk and nuts.

There have been a few times when Sweets was given the "substitution" because they did not know the carb count for the main selection.

Her teachers mentioned this to me.... Knowing I probably wouldn't be pleased.

They were right.

I appreciate what the cafeteria ladies are trying to do. I am not upset with them. I know that they are doing what they think is best and what they think is right.

And I REALLY don't want to be "THAT MOM".

But...

This is not ok.

You're telling her she can't have something because she has diabetes. It's making her different. The whole reason I even have her participate in snack and eat what is served is because everyone else does it and I don't want to single her out. And when she is served something different, she notices. And she does NOT like it.

I'm not alone in this.  Lora had a situation where Justin was served HOT WATER instead of HOT CHOCOLATE.  Ummm.... not ok.  You read about it HERE.  And you can read what happened next HERE.

I get the argument that there are other children who are eating the alternative.

Here's the difference...

Sweetpea CAN eat the main selection. It will not kill her. She is not allergic to it. There is NO REASON she can't have it.

If you dint know the carb count, look it up. Or ask me.

But please, PLEASE... Don't tell my child that she can't have something because she has diabetes.

She knows it's not true.

She may only be five, but she has heard it time and again - She can eat anything as long as we cover the carbs. She can do anything.

We may need to prepare. We may need to do a little research. It might be a little more difficult.

But diabetes does not have to hold her back.

And if I have anything to say about it, diabetes never will.

I'm not trying to be difficult. Honest.

It's just that I see, after only two years with this disease, that she is already feeling some burnout.

She's sick of it.
She wants it to go away.
She knows her friends don't test their blood sugar.
She knows no one else on her school has an insulin pump.
She knows it makes her different.

She just wants to be a normal kid.
She just wants go eat the same thing as everyone else.

There are times when she HAS to be different. She HAS to wear her pump (or get shots). She HAS to test her blood sugar.

So when she CAN be like everyone else.... Please, PLEASE let her be like everyone else.

Just let her eat the cake.