I can't remember what sparked the discussion, but I asked Olivia a while back which she'd prefer to have: Diabetes or a physical disability. She immediately answered that she'd rather have diabetes. I asked her why.

She said that diabetes can be as open or as hidden as you want it to be. You can tell everyone that you have it or you can tell no one, it's up to you. She said that a physical disability would be almost impossible to hide. She said she'd probably be more likely to be made fun of with a physical disability than with diabetes. She has experienced some teasing because of her diabetes but it was mild and was nipped in the bud before it got out of hand.

I remember one little girl leaping away from Olivia upon hearing that she had diabetes. She hissed at her sister "Stay away from her, you don't want to catch it!" I was about to jump in and get all mother bear on her when her sister said "You dummy, you can't catch diabetes." The little girl said "OH! Diabetes. I thought you said she had fleas." Heh.

I can see where Olivia is coming from with her answer. Kids can be incredibly cruel. I remember being teased mercilessly because I wore glasses. I can't even imagine what it might be like for a child with something much more visible. And at the age of 12, Olivia is all about fitting in, having friends and not about being different.

Have any of you ever discussed this with your kids? I know there are a lot of kids out there who hate having diabetes. Olivia certainly doesn't enjoy it, but she doesn't ever moan and groan about it. I think, because she was diagnosed so young, she doesn't have anything to compare it to, she doesn't have a pre-D life to miss. It makes me sad, but in some ways, it's easier to deal with this way.