56: Nervousness About a New T1D Driver!

Sweet Talk for Parents of Kids with Type One Diabetes

On today’s show, a mom joins me to talk about her nervousness about having a new driver — and to think through any issues that she should be on the lookout for because of diabetes. Mom is understandably anxious about her daughter starting to drive, but can also see that her daughter is pretty responsible about diabetes management. That said, we looked at the reality of how (the California) DMV requires disclosure of diabetes and how mom might help navigate that process smoothly by getting a letter from her child’s endocrinologist. We look together at what habits mom will help her daughter put into place to be sure she’s driving at a safe blood sugar — and about having a conversation with the doctor about how to think about what that number is. We also explore mom’s concerns about her daughter feeling different as a new driver with diabetes and how the two of them could talk about that. I make some suggestions about how this mom could think creatively about her daughter’s relationship to her diabetes once friends are in the car, instead of feeling worried that she’ll feel like the odd duck because of her T1D.