Mayo Clinic Health Manager
Get free personalized health guidance for you and your family.
Get Started
About our e-newsletters
- Free e-newsletters
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- We do not share your e-mail address
Housecall, our weekly general-interest e-newsletter, keeps you up to date on a wide variety of health topics with timely, reliable, practical information, recipes, blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts and more. Our biweekly topic-specific e-newsletters also include blogs, questions and answers with Mayo Clinic experts, and other useful information that will help you manage your health.
Housecall Archives
Mayo Clinic Housecall
Stay up to date on the latest health information.
What you get
- Free weekly e-newsletter
- Mayo Clinic expertise
- Recipes, tools and other helpful information
- We do not share your e-mail address
Coping and support
By Mayo Clinic staffType 2 diabetes is a serious disease. Helping your child follow his or her diabetes treatment plan takes round-the-clock commitment. But your efforts are worthwhile. Careful management of type 2 diabetes can reduce your child's risk of serious — even life-threatening — complications.
Counseling and support
Talking to a counselor or therapist may help your child or you to cope with the lifestyle changes that come with a type 2 diabetes diagnosis. Your child may find encouragement and understanding in a type 2 diabetes support group for children. Support groups for parents also are available. Although support groups aren't for everyone, they can be good sources of information. Group members often know about the latest treatments and tend to share their own experiences, or helpful information, such as where to find carbohydrate counts for your child's favorite takeout restaurant. If you're interested, your doctor may be able to recommend a group in your area.
Or, you can visit the American Diabetes Association to check out local activities for people with type 2 diabetes. The American Diabetes Association also offers diabetes camp programs, online information, and an online forum for children and teens with diabetes.
Getting your child actively involved
As your child gets older, encourage him or her to take an increasingly active role in diabetes management. Teach your child how to test his or her blood sugar and, if needed, inject insulin. Stress the importance of lifelong diabetes care, which is particularly important for teens to understand as they may rebel against their diabetes care regimen. Foster a relationship between your child and his or her diabetes treatment team. Make sure your child wears a medical ID tag.
Above all, stay positive. The habits you teach your child today will help him or her enjoy an active and healthy life with type 2 diabetes.
- Laffel L, et al. Epidemiology, presentation, and diagnosis of type 2 diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.htm. Accessed Jan. 6, 2009.
- Am I at risk for type 2 diabetes? National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/DM/pubs/riskfortype2/. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Standards of medical care in diabetes — 2008. Alexandria, Va.: American Diabetes Association. http://care.diabetesjournals.org/content/vol31/Supplement_1/. Accessed Jan. 6, 2009.
- McCulloch DK, et al. Pathogenesis of type 2 diabetes mellitus. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.htm. Accessed Jan. 6, 2009.
- Laffel L, et al. Comorbidities and complications of type 2 diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.htm. Accessed Jan. 6, 2009.
- McCulloch DK, et al. Glycemic control and vascular complications in type 2 diabetes mellitus. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.htm. Accessed Jan. 6, 2009.
- Kidney disease (nephropathy). American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/type-2-diabetes/kidney-disease.jsp. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Prevent diabetes problems: Keep your eyes healthy. National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/complications_eyes/index.htm. Accessed Jan. 6, 2009.
- Why taking care of your diabetes is important. National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. http://www.diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/type1and2/care.htm. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Prevent diabetes problems: Keep your feet and skin healthy. National Diabetes Information Clearinghouse. http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/dm/pubs/complications_feet/. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Estimated Average Glucose, eAG. American Diabetes Association. http://professional.diabetes.org/GlucoseCalculator.aspx. Accessed Jan. 6, 2009.
- Laffel L, et al. Management of type 2 diabetes mellitus in children and adolescents. http://www.uptodate.com/home/index.htm. Accessed Jan. 6, 2009.
- The basics of insulin. American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/utils/printthispage.jsp?PageID=TYPE1DIABETES3_263601. Accessed Jan. 6, 2009.
- Hypoglycemia. American Diabetes Association. http://tracker.diabetes.org/hypoglycemia.php. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Hyperglycemia. American Diabetes Association. http://tracker.diabetes.org/hyperglycemia.php. Accessed Jan. 9, 2009.
- Ketoacidosis. American Diabetes Association. http://www.diabetes.org/type-1-diabetes/ketoacidosis.jsp. Accessed Jan. 6, 2009.
- International Expert Committee. International Expert Committee report on the role of the A1C assay in the diagnosis of diabetes. Diabetes Care. 2009;32:1.
