I Can Do So Many Things All By Myself!

When my daughter was between the ages of one and four, we participated in a program called Kindermusik. It was a weekly parent-child music class where over the years she progressed from teething on maracas to dancing around the room with scarves.  One of the songs, which has now been stuck in my head for a week thanks to this prompt began, "I can do so many things all by myself!"

The song included call and response verses sung with great toddler pride: "Can you brush your hair?"  "I can brush my hair!"  Or, "Can you wash your hands?" "I can wash my hands!"

Over the years, my daughter has added a long list accomplishments to the list of things she can do:

She can wash her hands before a fingerstick all by herself.

She can read her blood sugar numbers all by herself.

She can unpack boxes of supplies all by herself.

She can check her blood sugar all by herself.

She can go to school all by herself.

She can tell if she's low all by herself.

She can treat a low all by herself.

She can read a nutrition label all by herself.

She can count her carbs all by herself.

She can go to a birthday party all by herself.

She can go out for lunch all by herself.

She can disconnect and reconnect her pump to swim all by herself.

She can have a sleepover all by herself.

She can manage her diabetes on stage all by herself.

She can go out to a buffet brunch all by herself.

She can change her site all by herself.

When she was two, I couldn't imagine leaving her to play in a different room from me.  When she was five, I couldn't imagine leaving her at a birthday party.  When she was eight, I couldn't imagine a sleepover. When she was ten, I couldn't imagine sending her to a restaurant without me.  But the independence has come, slowly and steadily.

While it's hard to imagine now, the day will come when she can go on an overnight trip all by herself.  In the blink of an eye, she'll be going off to college all by herself.

With the same instinct a toddler has to want to do as much as possible 'all by herself,'  my daughter continues to strive for independence in her diabetes care.  It's a delicate balance between keeping her safe and giving her wings. There are mis-steps and stumbling blocks along the way, but each success is cause for celebration, just like when she learned to brush her hair.

Today is the first day of Diabetes Blog Week.  Click HERE for more information about the event. Click HERE for a link to a list of participants in today's prompt of 'I can!'