I was speaking with someone tonight regarding my article “Take THAT diabetes”. They congratulated me on Kaitlyn’s acceptance into Nursing School. As we said good-bye, I was told; “…..so now you can worry a little less now that she will not be home….”.
I immediately thought of that wonderful song from the holiday classic, White Christmas. When they are trying to surprise the General, Bing Crosby appears on national TV and sings; “When does a General….stop being a General”? (you can click here to hear Bing sing the song—–he starts singing at about the 11 second mark).
It isn’t exactly a comparison to being a dParent; but the thought is roughly the same. But just as a general never stops being a general; a dParent NEVER stops being a dParent. It’s a title we are given and will have it forever. The worry does not ‘go away’ because your child is not at home. It stays with you. A dParent will always be a dParent. This goes right along with parents who stop being involved because ‘they have done it long enough’. They have donated, got burned out, feel differently about an organization, have done enough, advocated enough, lectured enough; all reasons given to ‘stop being involved’ somewhere, and sadly in some cases, ANYwhere.
Sorry…….you are NOT let off the hook.
If your child STILL lives with this disease, for the life of me, I do not understand how any parent can just say they have done enough to the point that they will do no more. If the world is not completely educated, the cure is not found, the best of all management tools are not in use; OUR work is not done. I know people who stayed active right up until their last breath. I think of those people ANY time I feel like I want to stop. I also think of ANY child that does NOT GET A BREAK either.
Many have heard me say, I will get a break when my child has that luxury, not one second before. So if you are tired. If you look around and see SO MANY (and there are SO MANY) doing nothing. If you are ready to throw your hands up and say, “I’m done”. Remember that no matter what you feel or do; your child (or children) with diabetes can not give up.
The promise you gave your child last week or thirty years ago is still the promise you need to keep. Think about it. Re-engage somewhere. Nothing can ever be fixed from the outside-looking in; or by just doing nothing—-NO REASON for being involved ‘trumps’ the promise you gave your child.
When does a diabetes dad stop being a diabetes dad????? I cannot answer for others but THIS diabetes dad will not done until the job is done. Period.
How do you feel about it?
I am a diabetes dad.
Please visit my Diabetes Dad FB Page and hit ‘like’.
One reply on “When Does a General (dParent) Stop Being a General (dParent)?????”
Totally, totally agree, you never stop being a Dparent. I, being Mum, will always have my T1 son on my mind (what’s he doing, what’s his level, has he got clean undies on haha) just because he’s my boy, and I as his mother will always think like that, just like I do with my other 3 chillins, it’s just that one of our darlings has T1. When our T1 goes to a friends place for a couple of days I do think yay a couple of days break but it’s a couple of days of not getting up in the middle of the night, it’s not having to count carbs or check the amount of carbs on a plate of food, it’s not making sure he has enough supplies etc etc etc, doesn’t stop you waking up at 2am or looking at food or wondering did he put that extra box of test strips in his bag. T1 doesn’t rule our lives, it just adds another thing to your plate of life that we as parents and our son have to deal with and like our son we will be Dparents for life.