We asked a group of parents of teens with type 1 what text they send the most. Here’s what they said.
“…whoa, I sound like the diabetes police.”
“Did you dose?”
“Insulin on board?”
“Did you pre-bolus?”
“Why are you 250?”
“Do you have your supplies?”
“Answer me.”
“Low?”
“Are you treating?”
Mike R. admitted, “I can hear myself and think, whoa, I sound like the diabetes police.”
Jessica T. said, “I don’t want his friends to see my name pop up and know it’s about blood sugar again.”
There’s no one right text, and all the parents we talked to agree on one thing: they’re still figuring it out as they go.
Alison C. explained, “I try really hard not to make diabetes the only thing I text him about. I’ll ask about school, or friends, or practice.”
But in the end, like most of the parents we spoke to, she still always ends up checking the app that monitors her son—and picking up the phone to text him.
“Once I see the numbers, it’s hard to unsee them. I tell myself he’s probably handling it and that I shouldn’t overreact. I’ll even set the phone back down and try not to think about it….”
And then she picks it right back up.
Read Receipt? Are You Being Ghosted?
“Ugh. there is something incredibly humbling about sending ‘Did you dose?’ and watching it get read…with no response,” laughed Laura D.
“Look, I don’t need a paragraph. I just need a little thumbs up. C’mon and give me something.”
This is where the mental gymnastics begin.
Do you text again?
Do you wait?
Do you assume he’s just in class and can’t answer his text?
Mike chimed in as others nodded, “You don’t want to be that parent. The one whose announcing ring tone is Star Trek’s red alert. I have been there, with my name starting to mean just another diabetes reminder.”
Michelle N. agreed, “It’s so frustrating. I’ve been the backup system for years. I’ve packed the supplies and done a million middle-of-the-night checks. So I’ve lived through enough near-misses to know that sometimes just that one small nudge can make a difference.”
And yes, they’re teenagers. So it’s hard to break through. But they are still teenagers, so reminders don’t hurt.
The Independence Experiment
When it comes to their kids’ independence, the parents all started weighing in.
“Don’t we all have the same goal—to raise a kid who can do this without us hovering forever?” Brian L. asked. “We’ve got college coming up, we’re battling over sleepovers and trips, and late hockey practices still throw us off.”
“I feel like I’m preparing her, but it’s hard to know where to let her take over.”
Jessica nodded. Half amused, half impressed, she admitted: “When I’m out of town, my son actually does better. He lays off the snacking more and requires fewer reminders. His numbers are better—it’s both wonderful and also sort of offensive!”
They laughed.
“It proves they can do it,” rejoined Michelle. “And it forces us to loosen our grip just a bit.”
Laughing at Themselves (Because They Have To)
This push-and-pull can be exhausting.
Laura noted, “There is something slightly ridiculous about how much thought goes into three words. We’re like teenagers trying to get our texts calibrated just right. I type it and then delete it.”
“Meanwhile, your kid is living their life.”
“Then I try to make it lighter, like ‘hey, quick check—did you dose?’ Then I overthink it—does that sound like I’m being too pushy?”
Jessica jumped right in, “Meanwhile, your kid is living their life. And definitely rolling their eyes at you at the lunch table. Fun.”
What’s the right way to text then? Michelle laughed, “I swear, we do have to laugh at ourselves sometimes. We don’t want to hover. We also know the stakes can be real. So I don’t care—if one slightly annoying text prevents a bigger issue later, I know I would rather live with the eye roll than any kind of regret.”
That’s the part that’s hard to explain to anyone outside this world.
The Right Way to Text…
So we’re curious:
What’s the text you send the most?
Or the one you’re constantly debating?
More Than Type 1 is built on conversations like this. The honest, slightly laughing-at-ourselves, “please tell me it’s not just me” kind. Share it with us. Chances are it is absolutely not just you.