Diabetes in children: diet is not a punishment


        DIABETES IN CHILDREN: DIET IS NOT A PUNISHMENT

How does your child feel about his diet?
It may be up to you to find out how your child feels about these sweet foods. If he has been used to a lot of sweets, and if the family has tended to regard sweets as rewards, then an abrupt denial of them all (particularly if the rest of the family goes on eating them) may be very upsetting for your child. He may even interpret the denial as a sort of punishment. 'I ate too much sugar and so I got diabetes. Now I am being punished by being forbidden them.' This is of course nonsense, but it is surprising how many children feel this way.

Diet is not a punishment
He may rebel and take sweets and cakes when no one is looking. He may yield to temptation occasionally and have a taste of some forbidden food (like a heavy smoker who is advised to stop smoking). In either case he will probably feel guilty afterwards, and this feeling of guilt will be made worse if you blame him, or reproach him, or worse still, punish him.

All children will break their diet occasionally
Children may not always seem logical. They may not believe you if you say that you are stopping them having cake for their own good (especially if you say this while you yourself are enjoying a luscious piece of iced cake).
Much explanation is necessary, and much understanding. If he does break his diet, and you find out, you may find that the best way to act is to let him realize that you know and disapprove, but avoid punishment or blame.
Your child has to live in a society where sweet carbohydrate foods are in profusion, and no party is a party without the cake. You cannot prevent him seeing other children enjoying these things, and although you will make some changes in your own home, you cannot perhaps deny all the rest of the family everything sweet. You may be able to help your child develop strengths of self-discipline in relation to food and show that you are also capable of some self-discipline yourself. You must help your child to accept, not only that he cannot freely have sweet things, but that other people can have them.

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