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How To Develop Self-Control: By raising our children within a framework of proper discipline we encourage self-control in them. We aren’t going to be
boss forever. We are teaching our children to be responsible for themselves. There are three main components to Self-Control. They are habit (hanging up their coat when they come in or doing homework before watching TV), seeing greater good (doing without something right now in order to get something better later), and ability to make moral judgments (doing things just because it’s right thing to do). We need to teach our children to think ahead about consequences of their actions. They should also be taught to accept responsibility for what they do. They need to be taught to make proper rules and to stick to them. Our kids need to learn to accept disappointment. And also to trust their own judgment. When children learn to see what needs to be done, stick with it until it is done, and not do it just because someone told them to or because they know it will make us happy, then we can pat ourselves on back.
This is our goal in teaching our children good diabetes control. It will help them realize not only that they have to do it but that they should do it. We as parents of diabetic children have been entrusted with a very difficult and special task. By holding up our end of responsibility for helping our children develop self-confidence, self-reliance, and self-control, we are preparing them to grow into adults that number one can and will take proper care of their health. And will in turn raise next generation of happy kids, our grandchildren.
Russell Turner is the father of a 10 year old Type 1 diabetic daughter. After diagnosis he found all kinds of medical information about diabetes on the internet. What he couldn't find was information about how to prepare his child and family to live with this disease. He started a website for parents of newly diagnosed diabetic children http://mychildhasdiabetes.com
