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You have moved through denial and anger. Now you might be trying to bargain with yourself, your friends, or even your family. You are now at Celiac’s Diagnosis: Stage 3 – Bargaining.
Celiac’s Diagnosis: Stage 3 – Bargaining
Parent View
Maybe you think that if you let your kiddo “cheat” and have gluten on special occasions it will be OK. Even if you do not feel that way, you might have relatives that do. I have heard it all: “Oh, it’s fine if it is just this one time”, “they aren’t going to die if they eat gluten”, etc.
They would be correct, your kiddo won’t “die” but they will be sick. Some people are violently ill right away while others take a bit longer to be ill. Everyone’s symptoms and reactions are different.
However, every time you allow your kiddo to “cheat” they are doing damage to their gastrointestinal (GI) tract. The more damage they do, the harder it is for them to heal. They also become more susceptible to Autoimmune Disorders as well.
Let me caveat, it isn’t like if your kiddo “cheats” once, the world will end. However, you do need to make sure your child knows the good, the bad, and the ugly. I believe in empowering my kids to make choices and let them know the consequences. I also realize you have to do what is age appropriate. My daughter was diagnosed at age 11 and could understand what would happen if she cheated.
Child View
Our daughter specifically told me she planned on cheating while we were waiting for her biopsy results. I literally stopped dead in my tracks and had a “come to Jesus” meeting. Did she cheat? Yep, she was 11. Did she get sick? Of course, she has Celiac’s Disease. At first, we would discuss how she felt more so she could get in tune with her body and know when she was glutened.
Honestly, it took us a while to rid all of the gluten in the house because we were learning. However, she intentionally ate things she knew she should not have; and guess what – I bet she will again! She is now 13, hormonal, and still a kid. Kids like to push the boundaries because that is how they learn. My kid, well she is the type that needs the proverbial brick upside the head to learn. It sucks, but that’s how she is wired.
Now, when she makes bad food choices she still has to go to school. Yep, hardcore here. I won’t be at college with her and she has to learn. She is way better now that she was and I am sure she will continue to get better in managing her own disease.
Not going to lie, we lasted in this stage a bit longer than I like to admit, but alas, we are all human. Once we dug ourselves out, we moved into the depression stage.
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