Why do you do it?

Another day in April and another WEGO Health Activists Writers Challenge topic! Today they ask, why do you write about your health? Well actually I don't, unless I am writing about my deteriorating mental health which is in part related to the health of my youngest son. 

Why do I write about the health of my son? For so many reasons! First, because its great therapy for me.  When I have been stressed or frustrated, by writing it down and getting it "out there", I have often been able to get perspective (or have someone give me perspective).  Sometimes it doesn't seem so bad when its spelled out on my computer screen.

Secondly, a friend once said that she liked reading what I was writing.  Silly woman!  Now I write to entertain the other one or two people who actually are interested in what I have to say.

This leads me to reason number three...so others know that they are not alone.  That is actually why my friend encouraged me to continue to write. She goes through similar events with her child with diabetes. My ranting, raving, and general discussions have shown her that she is not alone.  All of us parents of children with diabetes are in this together. We experience many of the same issues and seeing a variety of ways to cope allows us to find the best way to manage our own situation.

That actually brings me to a fourth reason (and here I thought I only had three!).  The fourth reason that I do this is to help those who are not yet at the stage in their diabetes life that we are.  I have learned a lot from those who have gone before.  When my son was a toddler I listened to the stories of those with pre-teens with great interest.  When my son became a pre-teen, I followed the horror stories of teenagers praying that some of their wisdom would help me through. Now that my son is a teen, and my older son is getting ready to move forward into his post-high school life, I read the tales of parents of young adults hoping to gain inspiration and guidance.  Hopefully, my stories will help prepare others for their next stage in life with diabetes.

The final reason to write about my son's life with diabetes is simple...some of his stories and points of view are priceless to me.  They amaze me.  They inspire me.  They make me laugh.  Blogging about it allows me to share his unique perspective with the fifty or so other people who follow my blog and allows me to preserve the memories in a unique form for both of us.

Back to the original questions...Why do I write about my son's health? To preserve my own sanity and hopefully to help out a few others along the way. Its as simple as that!