Nicole (age 14)
I don’t like Nightscout for myself. I can get why maybe it’s good for some newer diagnoses and younger diabetics, but at this stage in my diabetes, it is unnecessary. I think it takes away from learning to take care of yourself and general independence as you grow up. How can you expect to be able to manage yourself in college and the real world as an adult if you never got the chance to learn while you had your parents to support you? You don’t just give a kid a license, but you do teach them how to drive and make their own mistakes. I think it’s nice for kids who maybe can’t feel their highs/lows as well, but you should still use it as a learning tool (if at all) not as some end all law.
Josh (age 17)
I feel like the inventor of Nightscout and similar products definitely was an over concerned mother/father.
I would not want my mom monitoring my blood sugar from states away as it deprives us, as the diabetics, the opportunity to learn responsibility, learn how to manage this deadly disease on our own. If we are under our parents’ wings forever, we will never be able to experience a somewhat ‘Normal life’.
I understand our parents worries, and why they care so much/want to be so active in our diabetes care, but at some point there needs to be a time that you guys let us start to become our own INDEPENDENT person..
Claire (age 16)
I find that to be a little bit too controlling. Parents should trust their teens enough to be able to monitor their BG on their own. I can see it being useful for newly diagnosed, or for very young kids. But for a teen, we are on the verge of going off to college, or going to live on our own, and we should be learning to care for ourselves.
Mercedes (age 15)
I think it’s too much to have your parents have your numbers 24/7. I could see it if your child has been having troubles, like having lots of lows that can be understood. I don’t like the idea of them knowing all the time, it takes away trust and privacy. Trust is a big thing to a diabetic.
Skylyn (age 15)
I think products like the Nightscout are good if you have young children who need a lot help taking care of their diabetes and are new to a life with diabetes. For me, I wouldn’t want my parents to see my numbers 24/7 because it would be an invasion of my privacy and my parents should trust me to take care of myself at this age.
Jessica (age 19)
Personally, my parents do not use any of these programs to monitor my blood sugar. I think that when there is an established trust there is no need for continuous monitoring. If parents educate their children about how to take care of diabetes and the serious consequences that can arise, then there is no need for such close monitoring. In fact, I feel as though such a close eye makes kids more likely to rebel and not check or bolus properly. I think the best way to handle parental monitoring is to download numbers and blouses (or keep a log book) and once a week, or every other week, check them and make adjustments accordingly. My parents trust me enough to know that I know what is right and what is not, and that when they ask for me to download I will. This way we can have a discussion together about what we believe the proper adjustments are for the numbers being seen. It also helps ensure that I am on top of my stuff because they can see and notice when I am not checking or forgetting to bolus and give a gentle reminder to get back on track. I am a strong believer that trust and freedom when it comes to diabetes management is key to success.
Ian (age 13)
Well, I feel that it is beneficial to both of us because it helps my mom and I both keep our stress levels down. I see also a downside to it, for let’s say that you are trying to hide it during a meeting or something and then you get a text saying something about your blood sugar levels, than you have to give them the whole spiel…. so there is no definitive answer as to if it is good or bad.
Brandon (age 15)
That’s chill. Pros: I don’t die. Cons: Nothing
Allie (age13)
I’ve never used the devices that let your parents monitor your blood sugar at all times, but I think it would be a pretty good tool to use. This way, your parents won’t have to worry when you go to hang out with a friend, and they can have you check if they see abnormalities in your blood sugar. The only con I can think of is if your parents get carried away and start nagging you on every little thing. Otherwise, this would be a very good tool to use.
Kate (age 14)
I don’t like it. It seems to me that if your parent is monitoring your blood sugar 24/7 it means that they don’t trust you to take care of yourself.
Luke (age 15)
Pros- they can always call me and let me know what my BG is if I ever get distract by something. Also if I am sleeping and I don’t feel my low they can call me to wake me up
Page (age 17)
I think the night scout / the cloud are great! I personally don’t have one yet but I think my sugars would be under control a lot more if my mom or dad would be able to see my sugars and text me little reminders to dose wherever I am! The only con I can think of is if my sugar is up and they get upset that I hadn’t dosed earlier.
Ashley B. (age 14)
I think that parents should know their kid’s numbers in order to help figure out what their basals should be, but I don’t think that parents should just take over completely. After all, your kid will eventually have to move out, and it would be pretty bad if they don’t know how to take care of themselves.
Philip (age 16)
I’ve never heard of that so I don’t know how I feel about it. I don’t really care if my parents know my blood sugar. Sometimes it would actually be better because they may be able to help me figure out why it’s doing what it is (for instance if it suddenly drops low). The pro would be that if something happened to me, like if I went into a coma, they would know and could help. The con would be that they might be over-protective
Zyler (age 15)
I don’t really care as long as they don’t nag about it all the time