Everyone, everyone, is going to want to know what is going on and have an opinion about what they think is going on. While your time needs to be focused on your child and your diabetes skills at this time, finding a way to reach out to friends and family to keep them informed will help make your transition home less bumpy.

Appoint a Spokesperson

No, you're not NASA or the governor, but having a family spokesperson is a great idea at the start. Your friends and family will all want to hear what is going on and how you all are doing. You, however, will be completely immersed in learning all you need to learn. By cutting down the number of people you talk to at certain points during the day, you'll make it easier to focus on what you need to and not leave your well-intentioned friends in the dark.

Plan on talking to your spokesperson twice a day, and give her an update to pass on (“Joey had Dad do his first shot today and it went really well,” or, “The doctors are happy to see that he's reacting well to the first doses of insulin”). This will help keep your friends informed and let them know that you all are safe and relatively well.

Friend Pre-education

Your spokesperson should also encourage your friends and family to begin learning about diabetes and children before you get home. Have your spokesperson direct them to Web sites like jdrf.org and childrenwithdiabetes.com for basics. Ask your medical team for some book suggestions so your friends can read up on the basics. If you don't have to explain the simplest things, you'll have more time to get really meaningful support from your friends.