Reflections At The SATs

5 times a year, I proctor the SAT Test at a local high school. It's pretty fun giving the test to a room full of nervous 17 year olds (although this morning I had a 7th grader in my class!) I've been doing it for 6 years now and it usually pays for all my Christmas shopping!

This morning was the first SAT Test of the year. As I was looking around the room, I started thinking about what it would have been like for me if I had diabetes in high school, or younger.

I was 18 when diagnosed and had just started college. It was a time of claiming my independence, which also meant learning how to be diabetic on my own. My parents and lifelong friends were hundresds of miles away.

High school is, for most kids, a time when being differenct is often not accepted by your peers. I'm glad I didn't have to deal with diabetes back then and I'm so curious how kids do it. Although I hope I never find out with my future children.

It seems to me that diabetes would be tough to understand as a kid. Of course, you'd have the help of your parents, siblings, and friends, but would that make it more difficult to be an independent adult diabeteic than if you are diagnosed as an adult?

I'm thankful I was able to retain my chilhood innocence by having a healthy childhood. I'm awed by the thousands of kids out there who are dealing with this very serious, grown up disease. I'm not sure I would have been strong enough.