There are a number of behaviours and stages that any child goes through regardless of whether or not they have diabetes and it is important as a parent to understand these behaviours and how they may impact on the child’s diabetes.
A child aged 8–12 years with or without diabetes
- Becomes more practical, leaving their magical thinking and vivid imagination behind
- Starts to separate from you, becomes more independent, and may have secrets from you
- Becomes more self-aware
- Becomes more social
- Usually prefers to have friends of the same sex
- Begins to understand their strong and weak points and those of others too
- Solves problems more easily
- Starts to express themselves more clearly
- Enjoys being creative
- Becomes more self-conscious
- May have school phobia and “pretend” illnesses
- May sometimes lie or steal to avoid confrontation
- Becomes more interested in the outside world
- May worry about family issues like arguments, illness or death
- May worry about disasters seen on television or in movies
- Starts to rely more on the approval of friends and are interested in people beyond the family
- Becomes more sexually aware, although this can happen earlier
- Begins to want more control and may start questioning rules
