Middle School

I just got back a few minutes ago from an “Introduction to Middle School” meeting at Ollie’s school. Middle school. MIDDLE SCHOOL!!! How is this even possible? How is it that Ollie will be in middle school next year. Oy.

And as I sat there, listening to the curriculum of middle school, and the expectations of projects, and homework, and field trips, I couldn’t help but think about what this means for his T1 care.

As he gets older, he’s taking on more and more of his care while he's at school. He adds his own carbs, he takes his own blood sugar before snack and lunch, and he enters all the data into his pump. Suzy, one of our incredible clinic aids, oversees it all and helps out where she can. But there’s an expectation that this is all going to be more of his responsibility by next year. As a 6th grader he shouldn’t need to have someone else tell him to eat a piece of candy; he should really be sensing that and recognizing that for himself. He already does, for the most part, know when he should have a snack. But this 5th grade year we’ve really been working on giving him that power. I sense that Ollie, in many ways, understands just how great of a responsibility this is to take on. And I think it scares him a little.

So we’re working on making it less scary. We’re working on reminding him that it’s better to be safe and have something to eat, and that we can always dose a little insulin if he eats too much. Or that it’s ok to trust your gut and ride out a lower number if you’re just sitting around doing math work. We’re trying to remove the “OH MY GOD”-ness of it all, and give him the time to test out various scenarios. We’re trying to give him space, while at the same time holding that space safely for him.

It’s more a practice in empowering my shy kid to be more confident in his own truth than it is anything else.

Damn, this parenting thing is really hard.