Friendly Fire

So the other day I yelled to the boys to check their sugars. What? You don’t do this? Sit on the couch and yell, “So and so, check your sugar!” This is a regular occurrence in our house. The dog alerts and I call in the troops. “The dog alerted, Check your sugar!” Usually the kids jump up and do it. The only complaints I get is when I ask one to check L for me sometimes. Even then it’s usually not much of a complaint, just a gentle grunt or sigh. L can check his sugar himself, but he is still shaky and doesn’t reliably clean his finger well enough for me to trust the number.

So, again, the other day I did my yell and the kids filed into their bedroom to do their checks. J was first. He came out and announced some blood sugar and then ran off to finish his video game. B did the same and began to run off when I stopped him…”B! Will you check L for me?” (Grunt…sigh…) “Okay Mom.” (They totally know better than to complain, it doesn’t get them anywhere.)

So B goes back to the bedroom where I hear this conversation take place.

B- “Give me your finger.”

(Pause)

B-“NO! This one!”

L- “NO! That’s the ouchie one, do this one.”

B-“Look at me L! I HAVE to use this one.”

L-“I told you B, that is the ouchie one!”

B-“You have no choice. I HAVE to check your sugar, and it HAS to be that one!”

This is when I heard struggling and a small shriek. I walked in to B holding L down with his pinky in his hand and L yelling, “Not he ouchie one, not the ouchie one!”

Me- “B! What on earth are you doing? Get off your brother!”

B- “Mom it’s his fault he wouldn’t let me poke his pinky!”

Me- “For cryin’ out loud B, Why do you have to use his pinky?”

B- “Because the pinky is the cleanest one, it always is.”

Me-“Why couldn’t you use an alcohol swab here and use the finger he wanted?”

B- “Mom, I know the pinky hurts, but it just hurts for ONE SECOND and I want to play my video game!”

The whole thing seemed so crazy because usually my kids are pretty mellow. I do understand that brothers will have their fights and disagreements, but to see them in combat over THIS was…I don’t know...another testament to our diabetic life. In any other household, a brother holding down a diabetic brother forcing him to let him use his pinky would be cruel and heart breaking. In our house it takes on an entire other connotation. To them, there was nothing out of the ordinary about it what so ever. I think that may be a blessing. My boys are growing up in a home where dealing with their diabetes is a normal way of life. There is no feeling “different.” There is no inclination to hide their condition. There is no poor me. We have a built in support group, for better or for worse, and that is, in my own twisted way, something I am thankful for.

P.S. B did get a little lecture of the golden rule, and I have been sure to ask B to check L only when I REALLY need him to. He is 7 after all. And also, just because M isn’t diabetic doesn’t mean he is exempt from helping out with L too. He checks L’s sugars for me as well, but not surprisingly, L prefers B or J to do it instead.