This will be our first year celebrating Halloween since our son was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.  We hope we do it right.

Our primary philosophy is to allow him to experience as normal a Halloween as possible.  He’s got his school costume party, a separate one that he is heading to at the local hospital just for kids with diabetes and on Halloween night he’ll wander around with all his friends just like years past.

We’ve already discussed with him the need to not gorge on candy that night and he actually volunteered the idea to give his candy away to his friends (as he does at school when rewarded by his teacher).  We’ll let him keep a few of his favorites however and will simply integrate them into his meals over the following days.

All along we’ve maintained our principal that this disease will not fundamentally interfere with his life as a child.  We’re going to manage.  He is going to sacrifice some things but he’s also becoming much more aware of his body, his diet and his mind.  He and we are learning everyday.

So far, so good.

For those of you looking for more information on how to manage Halloween while also managing your child’s diabetes, check out this great set of Halloween tips.

Also, here is a document that outlines the carbohydrates associated with a wide range of typical Halloween treats.

Boo!