Being a dad with diabetes can have some affects on your family that you may have not thought about. I always show and explain as much as I can about my type 1 diabetes to my children, but there are times that my diabetes shows its ugly face in their lives.

Like this story:

I remember back to an event at our church when my son was five. It was a neighborhood fair and there were games, food, and bounce houses of every style you can think of. Each of the church members was asked to bring a dessert or casserole to share. Well, one family brought a huge box of individual wrapped Twinkies.

My son comes running over to me and asked if he can have one and of course I said okay. He grabbed a package of yellow squishy goodness and brought it over to us so we could help him get it open. As I am opening the package I can see his little eyes staring in wonderment at this very strange looking cake-like sort of thing.

I ask, "Have you ever had a Twinkie?"

"No daddy, are they good?"

"I used to like them when I was little. Try it!"

He held the cake in his hand and took a big bite. As soon as had about a third of it in his mouth I saw a face I had not seen since we tried to feed him green beans as a baby. Totally and completely grossed out. He choked down what was in his mouth and handed it over.

"I don't like it" he said out of a twisted face that looked as though he just had the most disgusting thing on the face of the earth in his mouth and ran off with the other kids.

I looked and my wife and after we stopped laughing I said, "I think I have ruined our kids." We both cracked up about it until we saw he was the only kid sitting under the tree not drinking punch. He had a Diet Pepsi.

Poor kid!