Sweet Talk for Parents of Kids with Type One Diabetes – Details, episodes & analysis

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Sweet Talk for Parents of Kids with Type One Diabetes

JoAnne Robb, T1D Mom and MFT

Kids & Family

Health & Fitness

Education

Frequency: 1 episode/12d. Total Eps: 78

The answers you’ve been waiting for! We all know that raising a type 1 child is filled with stresses and uncertainties that go beyond regular parenting. In this podcast, host JoAnne Robb, a psychotherapist, diabetes coach and T1D mom herself, brings her expert knowledge and experience to give you practical and sane answers to the questions you have about the emotional side of living with a T1D child. She will tackle your real-life questions so you can get the help you deserve to manage the challenges of growing up diabetes.

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🇩🇪 Germany - parenting
24/03/2026
#96
🇩🇪 Germany - parenting
01/02/2026
#88

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https://diabetessweettalk.com
27 shares
http://www.diabetessweettalk.com
22 shares
http://www.diabetessweettalk.com/courses
15 shares

https://www.amazon.com/Anxious-Kids-Parents-Courageous-Independent/dp/0757317626
1 share

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Score global : 42%

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How to let our teens have some independence

Episode 78

Tuesday, February 18, 2025 • Duration 35:13

It can be so hard to even think about how to let our T1D kids have more independence, but I really believe that it’s hardest for those of us who had kids diagnosed when they were really young. For that special category of T1D parent, we’ve been so closely knit into the diabetes management, so part of every T1D decision, that it’s harder for us to step back and let our kids fly.

On today’s show, I talk to one of those moms. Her daughter, now 14, was diagnosed in kindergarten — and mom is struggling with the normal independence that her daughter wants to have. She talks about how diabetes reset (and raised) the level of her day-to-day anxiety, leaving her worrying about every number and every possibility. It’s a hard habit to break, especially as her daughter wants to walk out the door to the school dance carrying a teeny purse with no room for low supplies.

So she and I brainstorm: We think through ways she can talk to her daughter about bringing those supplies without creating a fight. And we also talk about the ways that mom can to release the iron grip of her anxiety. As I always say, it doesn’t mean she should unclip her diabetes seatbelt — her daughter does need to have low supplies at the dance — and mom has some work to do to let some mistakes happen. After all, if our kids are out of range because they mis-dosed for a boba, it’s not the end of the world: In fact, it becomes a moment to have a conversation about how to this about it differently next time.

Together, we think about the ways that our kids learn diabetes management (spoiler alert: step by small painful step) and how we can support that process. And we look at the importance of having faith in who our children will become, both as people, and as people with diabetes.

Even if your child was diagnosed when they were older, so much of this is familiar to all of us with T1D kids: the anxiety and the letting go.

Hope you enjoy the show!

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When you can’t stop being anxious about diabetes

Episode 77

Tuesday, February 4, 2025 • Duration 46:06

When our kids are first diagnosed with T1D, our anxiety spikes. Normal for all of us — how could it not? But what happens when it stays so high that we can never get a break from it, when we’re feeling anxious all the time and aren’t able to step away from diabetes?

That’s what I’m talking about on today’s podcast episode. Natalie, mom of four year old Amara who was diagnosed at eight months, came on the show to share the ways she’s having trouble turning down the volume on her own anxiety about diabetes. Even though this makes so much sense — her daughter was diagnosed at 8 months! and she’s still so young! — we look at the toll it’s taking on Natalie.

The irony is that Natalie theoretically knows what she should be doing to help herself feel better— before she had Amara she was a meditation teacher. But now she’s having trouble leaving Amara with anyone else to make time for self care. Even though we spend a little time problem solving this — and noting the ways that Natalie has recently taken new steps to get some support — I challenge Natalie a lot in this episode. I emphasize all of the reasons that it’s essential for her to take better care of herself, not least of all because she wants to model a good relationship to diabetes for her daughter.

Listen in to hear about other ways we T1D parents can think about shifting our narrative about diabetes so we can recharge ourselves.

Hope you enjoy the show.

Natalie's Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/NatalieCalzadilla

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It's a balancing act: thinking about work when you have a newly diagnosed T1D kid

Episode 68

Tuesday, June 4, 2024 • Duration 18:46

I loved the conversation I had for today’s podcast episode. It touched on a topic that no one has ever asked me about, even though I know it affects many of us: the difficult balance of managing work responsibilities while caring for a child diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.

I’m talking with Nikki, a mother from the UK whose 6-year old daughter was diagnosed with T1D about a year a half ago. As Nikki learned more and more about diabetes after her daughter’s diagnosis, she started to recognize that she needed to make significant adjustments to her work life in order to truly meet her daughter’s needs. The lack of support and understanding from her employers compounded her feelings of guilt, overwhelm, and depression. Ultimately, Nikki made the tough decision to step back from her job, allowing her to provide the dedicated care her daughter required.

Nikki’s work/life balance ultimately has a happy ending—she started her own business where she works less and earns more. But it prompted her to think about the kinds of support that T1D parents need: Her journey heightened her awareness of the precarious nature of balancing professional obligations with the demands of caregiving.

In many ways, Nikki’s story is not unique; many parents face similar struggles as they take on the often crushing burden of managing their child’s T1D — and many parents adjust their work schedules to accommodate these needs. But it’s a lonely and hard decision, so I was grateful to Nikki for coming forward to explicitly name how challenging it can be. We have a brief, but wide-ranging conversation.

Listen to hear more about

*My thoughts about how some of the work/life balance parents need help with is actually a political issue

*Some clear ideas about mourning and challenges parents face when their child is first diagnosed.

*Starting to create some community around T1D

Hope you enjoy the show!

Figuring out how to transition to preschool with T1D

Episode 67

Tuesday, May 21, 2024 • Duration 30:37

In this week’s episode, I have a conversation with Mary, mother of a newly diagnosed little boy: Campbell was diagnosed about 6 months ago at two and a half.

Mary and her husband are getting the hang of diabetes but it’s been such a big learning curve that they’re thinking of postponing sending Campbell to preschool in the fall: Mary just can’t picture how a school transition would go. The thought of entrusting her son’s care to someone else is understandably daunting. As we talk, we realize together that Mary’s also hesitant to send Campbell because she’s not sure how to ask the school for the help that her family needs to manage type 1. Ultimately, she doesn’t want to burden others with the complexities of managing his diabetes and learning the ins-and-outs of the disease.

Together, we delve into her worries and explore the emotional landscape of becoming a T1D advocate for our kids. We discuss the vital importance of self-advocacy, not just to ensure that our kids receive the best possible care and support, but also because it’s critical for us to model for them how they can ask for the help they need — today and in their future. We also look at how this kind of advocacy helps create a safety net for our kids.

I share several strategies to help Mary feel more comfortable both advocating and leaving her son at preschool: We talk about the small steps she can take to practice, mostly by starting to advocate with family members, creating a step-by-step map for starting to leave Campbell with those people who already love him. We also look at ways to think about advocating at the school by her first getting super clear about what kind of support she wants Campbell to have.

Listen to hear more about:

the reasons you might consider transitioning to a pump, even when shots are working
the mistakes school care providers might make in management — and how to think about that
an upcoming workshop that will help you build a better relationship with your child’s care team at school

Validating the experience of your newly diagnosed T1D

Episode 66

Tuesday, May 7, 2024 • Duration 26:40

In today’s episode, I talk with Tiffany, a mother whose 9-year-old daughter was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes only a few months ago. Tiffany opened with her primary concern: the limitations her daughter might face in the future. Even though she couldn’t picture exactly what those limitations would be she fears diabetes will hold her daughter back.

Tiffany’s worries are a mirror of what so many T1D parents feel—we worry about the hurdles our kids are going to face. It’s easy to get caught up in the “what ifs” and overlook the “right nows.” So I brought Tiffany into the present, looking at the ways her daughter might have felt limited since her diagnosis and how Tiffany can respond to that.

Validation became the keyword of the discussion. I emphasized the importance of acknowledging the frustrations and limitations her daughter is currently facing — in the example Tiffany gave, it was about sitting out from PE, something we’re all familiar with. I work through a powerful validation tool with Tiffany that she’ll be able to use again and again as she parents diabetes, one that will keep her closer to her daughter’s experience, with the hope that that will help her daughter make a smoother adjustment to a life with type 1. It’s not foolproof, but it’s a way for our kids to understand that we’re alongside them.

Listen to hear more about:

The nitty gritty of how to construct a strong validation of our kid’s experience
Thoughts on how to stay close to our kids as they grow their diabetes responsibilities so we’re attuned to what they actually can manage.
A discussion on the thin line between fostering independence and the risk of “diabetes burnout.”
How powerful it is for a parent to be together with their child on their diabetes journey

Hope you enjoy!

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To Test or Not to Test . . . (Your T1D's Siblings)

Episode 65

Tuesday, April 16, 2024 • Duration 15:42

In today’s latest episode, I answer a listener question that will resonate with most parents of T1D kids: the emotional and practical considerations of testing siblings for diabetes markers.

The decision to test siblings for diabetes markers is one that many families, including my own, approach with trepidation. The anxiety surrounding this decision is understandable. No parent wants to even begin to imagine another child facing the same challenges as their type 1. And so the question becomes: to test or not to test? Do I want to know? Should I want to know? Does knowing help? Or will I just feel more overwhelmed?

The discussion strikes a balance between the idea that knowing if a diagnosis is coming can be powerful — we can plan, and prepare, and possibly even help delay onset with new drugs like tZield. But we also need to be gentle with ourselves, choosing testing only when we feel ready to tolerate what the testing uncovers. I also tackle how we might have to protect our children from the enormity of that information, holding it lightly for their sakes, even as we prepare for the worst.

Of course, this decision remains a deeply personal one for each family. In this episode, I provide information, empathy, and understanding to help parents make the best choice for their children and their family’s overall well-being. Hopefully, listening will offer some perspective that will help ease the your burden of deciding.

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Preparing for kindergarten and beyond with your T1D kid

Episode 64

Tuesday, April 2, 2024 • Duration 25:15

Today’s show touches on a topic that’s close to many of our hearts—preparing our little ones for big life transitions. But as you know, when you’re the parent of a kiddo with type 1 diabetes, those transitions take on a whole new layer of planning and care.

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Rachel, a proactive mom who’s thinking months ahead about her son’s upcoming leap into kindergarten — and also about his horizon beyond.

As we delve into our conversation, we talk about ways that Rachel can best navigate the school system for her T1D son. I suggest she connect with other T1D families in her school so she can get a sense the inside scoop on how diabetes management works there. We talk about ways to partner with her son’s school care team to build a strong relationship with them (and I also give a nod to my upcoming workshop “Beyond the 504” where I teach about how to do just that). I also make suggestions of how she can bulletproof her son’s 504 plan, in order to maintain more parental decision-making authority.

Rachel is thinking even further ahead: She’s wondering about the challenge of transferring the responsibility of diabetes management to her child over the long run. It’s a dance between fostering independence and being there to catch them when they fall. And trust me, we all have stories about that part of the journey—like the one I share about my daughter’s path to managing her diabetes.

Here’s a sneak peek of other highlights from our conversation:

Why advocating for your child requires a balance of assertiveness and relationship-building.
Cultural insights into how women are often taught to communicate, and the challenges we face around advocacy because of that.
Personal anecdotes that highlight the emotional aspect of slowly passing the baton of diabetes care to our kids.

Centering your values with a T1D Kid

Episode 63

Tuesday, March 19, 2024 • Duration 32:04

In today’s episode, I’m joined by Sveltana, a mother who’s navigating the bumps of diabetes management with her 9-year-old snowboarder and athlete. While we do spend some time strategizing management and I talk to this mom about questions she could put to her endo, we’re actually having an important conversation about the values that she might be choosing to center in a life with diabetes.

When we T1D parents talk about managing diabetes, it’s a delicate dance between maintaining tight control and giving our kids the freedom to just be kids. For Sveltana and her son, sports are a passion. But as she’s learned, sometimes that means the numbers can take a backseat.

What we recognize in this episode is that diabetes management is deeply personal. As Sveltana and I discussed, it’s really about values clarification. What do we want to center in a life with diabetes? For Sveltana, it’s her son’s happiness and normalcy, even if it sometimes means the numbers aren’t picture perfect.

I also talked with Sveltana the importance of giving herself some grace as she figures out how to manage sports and numbers together. Her family is relatively new to this journey, and there’s no one-size-fits-all approach to diabetes. Being out of range but allowing her son the space to play the sports he loves could be a win for them. And she might need to adjust some of her expectations as they continue to learn and grow in managing diabetes.

Listen to hear more about

Resources for personalized diabetes care, especially for those balancing sports and activity.
Potentially important questions to ask the endo, like about mini gluc, ketone checking and additional basal profiles.
Thinking about getting more support — It’s vital to feel free to reach out for this, especially if you’re seeing patterns that you’re not sure how to manage, or that feel scary.
Family Camp! Still can’t say enough how valuable this can be to everyone in the household.

Mentioned in this episode:

Need help getting your kid the right snacks?

Parenting the transition to T1D adulthood

Episode 62

Tuesday, February 13, 2024 • Duration 37:20

I feel so lucky to have been part of the conversation that makes up this week’s episode. My guest is Stacey Simms, herself a big name in the diabetes world, and the host of the Diabetes Connections podcast. At one of her Mom’s Night Out events, she had told me that she had a question about her T1D son’s transition to college — and here she is to talk about it.

Stacey starts by naming a few different areas where she’s struggling as her son transitions to college and she transitions to his independence. The first is simply about him leaving and the ways that she worries about his diabetes management, especially since they had made an agreement that she would no longer be on Dexcom share once he left for college. She also notices her reactions to his management style when he is back at home and wonders how the conversation about diabetes should look now that he’s a young adult. And as the topper: This super experienced T1D mom questions whether she did a good enough job teaching her son about diabetes.

This is a robust conversation about the ongoing challenges of parenting our T1D kids, even as they become young adults.

Listen to hear more about:

*The ways we sometimes compare our child’s diabetes “performance” to that of other kids

*The challenges we feel about our own adequacy when our kids aren’t doing as well at management

*The balance of our feelings of awe and respect for what our children carry and our critical feelings towards our kids for the things they forget or don’t get right with management.

*What it means to be “impressed” by what our kids are managing and how to communicate that authentically while still giving them space to fail with diabetes.

*How to talk to our young adult kids about their management

*Remembering that our kids might still need and want our help with diabetes — and how to ask them about that

*The ways that it feels like the worry about T1D never stops

What should our kids be responsible for in their diabetes care?

Episode 61

Tuesday, January 30, 2024 • Duration 16:30

On today’s show, I welcome back Kaylor Glassman, founder of Diabetes Support Partners, to talk through a question from a listener.

The question has to do with an 11 year old, who the parent feels isn’t being as responsible about diabetes management as mom thinks she should be. Mom is concerned that this kiddo isn’t tracking the insulin in her pump, is allowing her pump to run out of charge, and is always surprised when the CGM expires. The parent is wondering how to get better cooperation from her child.

But Kaylor and I question whether this is the right approach and whether these are reasonable expectations for this child. We look at how the anxiety of the parent could be pushing this kid to do more than, perhaps, she’s capable of. And with that in mind, we look at how to foster a conversation with our children about what they think they are capable of, with the idea that we’re transferring diabetes responsibility step by step.

Listen to hear more about:

*The difference between whether a child can do a task and whether they are actually ready to do that task

*Ways to foster a positive connection around these tasks through conversation

*Thinking about developmental readiness in transferring T1D responsibilities

*Following the child who’s in front of us and allowing them to lead in terms of what management tasks they are ready for

*Keeping connected about diabetes, even in the teen years

Mentioned in this episode:

Need help getting your kid the right snacks?

That's why I've created the Sweet Talk Snack Course. It's a free mini-course to give you 6 snack sized lessons on making sure you're giving your kid the right foods to keep them nourished and their blood sugar in check. Get it at https://diabetessweettalk.com

Sweet Talk for Parents of Kids with Type One Diabetes – Details, episodes & analysis

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Sweet Talk for Parents of Kids with Type One Diabetes – Details, episodes & analysis

Podcast details

Recent rankings

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Shared links between episodes and podcasts

Other17

Amazon2

RSS feed quality and score

Publication history

Latest published episodes

Similar podcasts and content

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

Related Shows Based on Content Similarities

Other17

Amazon2

Youtube2