I recently watched a diabetes nurse educator give a presentation on parenting kids with type 1. He stated that the number one most significant predictor of a child's A1C is if the mother feels supported as a wife, woman and mother.
Not the education level of the parents.
Not how much money the parents make.
It's if the momma is happy.
Want to know what Chase's A1cs are? They are perfect. They are right where his medical team wants him to be.
I've never been able to pinpoint exactly how to characterize my marriage. Some couples gush that they married their best friend, I don't feel that way. Gary is much, much more than that. He is my rock. In addition, he shares my warped sense of humor, love of good music (when he told me he didn't like Bruce Springsteen & Bob Seger, I knew I was in love) AND he cleans the bathrooms.
Right after we were married, we did what most most married couples should not do - we remodeled our house. I figure that if we survived that, we could survive anything. And we have. While sitting in the hospital with our newly diagnosed type 1 diabetic child, our nurse educator took us aside and gave us this advice: Work together as a team or your marriage will suffer. Don't let one parent take on the responsibly of managing the diabetes. It was advice we took to heart.
We both know that there are many tangible things in life we can give Chase (Legos, Legos, Legos, Legos, Legos). And there are fun and exciting experiences like trips to Disney World, Mount Rushmore, and Washington, DC. But, the most important thing we can give him is his health and we are committed as a team to do just that.
A couple years ago we did it again - did what very few married couples should do. We built a house together. Side-by-side, day and night we worked until it was finished. The finished product is the labor of our love. Just like Chase.
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