Badass D-Mamas

A couple months ago, someone wrote a blog post about dealing with Type 1 kids at a diabetes camp in the summer. The post went on to lament that some kids are 'pusses' (their words, not mine, and oh, it later got changed to 'wusses' - there, doesn't that make you feel better about your child??!!) because they may need EMLA cream when changing insulin pump sites, or that they may need hand holding, or they may need to lay down to change their site. The point of the post was to tell all of us D parents to buckle up, stop coddling the damn kids, stop creating these pusses and for Gods sake, it's not that bad, doesn't hurt and whoever the hell told you kids need special treatment???

Buckle up, ride the rodeo, stop whining, don't be a puss. Or a wuss.

Whew.

It got to me, that post. I think of it every now and then. And I think that the person who wrote it doesn't have an inkling of what it means to be a badass.

Yep, a BADASS.

I know some badasses. Specifically, some badass D-Mamas.
What makes a D-Mama a badass?
I will tell you.

If you raise more than one child with Type 1 in your family, you are a badass.

If you shoot skittles and other uppers into your hockey playing son and sit through practices, monitoring blood sugars like a honey badger, you are a badass.

If you tell it like it is, and ask others to create videos to help your son realize how great he is, you are a badass.

If you live thousands of miles away, but feel the same same, you are a European badass.

If you have kids with other conditions, and one with D, and you you rock it, you are a badass.

If you have your Type 1 son make videos, so he can help other Type 1 kids, you are a badass.

If your child changes his own insulin pump site, at his own pace, with support, you are a badass.

If you walk for diabetes and form a team, and 119 people show up for that team, you are a badass.

If you remind us all what we need to remember and know about being a DMama, you are a badass.

If you illustrate your life as a D Mama through gorgeous photos that show all parts of your sons life with D, you are a badass.

If you have one child with diabetes, then survive the diagnosis of another child, and maintain your sanity, you are a badass.

If your T1 daughter has a sleepover, and you go with her to let her have fun and feel like everyone else, you are a badass.

If you vlog about your daughters A1C with honesty and emotion, for all to see and to feel same same, you are a badass.

If you check your own blood sugar, to show teachers how to test blood sugar, you are a badass.

If your child has Type 1 and celiac, and you make sure they attend birthday parties, you are a badass.

If your child accepts their diabetes and wants to tell the world that it's OK, you are a badass.

If you share with others recipes that help your Type 1 child, you are a badass.

If you write gorgeous prose and write eloquently and honestly about having a Type 1 daughter, you are a badass D-Papa.

If you rock the shoes and a wicked sense of humor while caring for a Type 1 son, you are a badass.

If you parent a child who speaks up and says "I CAN have that!", you are a badass.

If you manage diabetes and have an 'off' day like everyone else, and everyone who reads it says 'same-same', you are a badass.

If you have sat in 504 meetings and worried about your son or daughter's care at school, you are a badass.

If you have pondered over which insulin pump to get and spent time researching them, you are a badass.

If your kitchen counter looks like all of our kitchen counters at days end, you are a badass.

If you yourself are Type 1, and you are raising a Type 1, you are such a badass.

If you have cried tears about your child's Type 1 diagnosis, and then dried them and moved on, you are a badass.

If you have ever been awake in the middle of the night, checking blood sugars, and decided to blog, you are a badass.

If you use EMLA cream on your child because that is what they need, you are a badass.

If your child lays down to change their pump site, because that is what they need, you are a badass.

If every day, you fight for what your child needs, their diabetic care and do what needs to be done, you are a badass.

If your child relies on you to change their pump site, because that is where they are at, you are a badass.

If your child needs to hold your hand, or hug you, or cry during their pump site change, and you recognize that, understand and provide a hand, a body or a shoulder on which to do so, you are such a badass.

If you encourage your child to do it themselves, when they are ready, in their good ole time, knowing, (much like the old they-won't-wear-diapers-to-college-saying), that they will not attend college with you changing their sites, you are a badass.

If you, every day, wake up, to do it all again, you are a badass.


I know there are tons more of you out there. Badass D-Mamas.
Tell me some more that you know. Provide the link in the comment section with your comment.

We should celebrate that WE are the badasses.