Wishing For Invisibility

What middle schooler hasn't wished to be invisible?  The reasons are too numerous to count:

Acne

Bad Haircuts

Clumsiness

Mean kids

Forgotten homework

Sports blunders

Social faux-pas

Being in public with one's parents

Diabetes

Wait...that last one is invisible.  Sort-of.  Which is good.  Sometimes.

With her insulin pump in her pocket and her supplies stashed away, nobody knows my child has diabetes.  Until she disappears from the classroom every day before everyone else.  Or starts squeezing blood out of her finger at a birthday party.  Or gets all glazy eyed and starts chugging an Elmo juice box.  Then it's actually be helpful to know that she has diabetes and hasn't gone off the deep end.

She's not embarrassed about her diabetes, though she may go through a phase some day when she is.  For now, she's open to questions.  But it's not the first thing she wants people to know about her.  She'd rather talk about books or music or American Girl Dolls or the Red Sox.  She'd rather people know she's sweet and funny and smart.

Yet I suppose if the first impression was a choice between dropping all her stuff while tripping up the steps at the new school, or being seen testing her blood sugar on those same steps, she'd choose the latter.

Would you?

This week is invisible illness awareness week.  More information and the opportunity to link your own post can be found here.