October 29, 2011

A Halloween Re-Run: Eat the Candy.


Here is a YDMV bit from the YDMV WABAC machine. If you remember the reference you are both my hero and old like me. As Halloween approaches I once again offer my feelings about carb based holidays and kids with type 1: Make the joy of bing a kid first.



Kerri vblogged about Halloween candy, mostly snickers bars. It was like she has some kind of a Snickers obsession. Almost as if she was scared for life by having Snicker withheld from her in her formative years.

At the risk of further damaging my good reputation (I know you’re thinking “What reputation?” As if I could say anything else to make myself out to be more of a total boob.) I want to talk about Halloween candy.

Candy didn’t cause our kids to be type 1.

Candy isn’t going away because they are.

I needed to learn this but it is a lesson I learned early. I didn’t know much about diabetes; OK I didn’t know jack squat about type 1 diabetes before Connor was diagnosed other than there were some parents who had to give there kids shots every day and I thanked god I wasn’t one of them.

I hated needles. I still do.

I know a lot more now than I did then. Mostly I know not to spell out my fears for Murphy’s Law by being thankful for not having needles in my life. It is a sure fire ticket to Needleville.

Before he was released from Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia  I learned the lesson that candy didn’t cause Connor diabetes and his having it wouldn’t make candy go away. They were very clear - Kids with diabetes are kids and so are entitled to the joys of being a kid.

Candy on holidays is part of being a kid.

Candy based holidays are important and among the many things CHOP taught us were these two: He is trick or treating. He is eating his candy (as part of his scheduled carb intake.) They released him a day early on the morning of Halloween with solemn and serious instructions to trick or treat that night.

So I am here to say don't let your kid grow up and become some kind of a scared by Snickers bar Halloween freak like some vbloggers I know. Let them eat cake! Or in this case the candy! For Kerri I recommend the both in the form of a Crumbs' Snickers cupcake.

Be a kid with diabetes.



Kid first, diabetes second - deal with the diabetes so they can be kids.



5 comments :

  1. Amen!!

    It bothers me to see PoCWD looking for alternatives to Halloween candy, Christmas pies or whatever. Make it work, they will thank you later.

    Great post.

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  2. I love watching you pick on Kerri. :D

    I was released from the hospital a week before my 22 birthday with strict instructions to continue with my plans to celebrate my birthday in Vegas!

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  3. Pick on?! I love Kerri like she was my kid sister. My 4 older sisters I'm sure will testify that I would never pick on a sibling.... OK I guess you're right.

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  4. Well said Bennet! We have our candy carb count list handy for the haul that G brings home. Yes indeed, kid first and diabetes second.

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  5. Denial (also called abnegation) is a defense mechanism postulated by Sigmund Freud, in which a person is faced with a fact that is too uncomfortable to accept and rejects it instead, insisting that it is not true despite what may be overwhelming evidence. The subject may use:

    simple denial: deny the reality of the unpleasant fact altogether

    minimisation: admit the fact but deny its seriousness (a combination of denial and rationalization)

    projection: admit both the fact and seriousness but deny responsibility.

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