Hey there Tara,
I saw your comment and wanted to go ahead and respond before I forget!!
I just barely remember a few brief moments of my life before the big D. For example, I remember I loved Little Debbie oatmeal pies when I was little, and one time when my mom bought some, I ate WAY too many and got sick! LOL. And I remember telling one of my friends in 1st grade how incredibly thirsty I was, and asking if she was thirsty. I remember she looked at me funny and said, "No, I have enough spit in my mouth." (LOL!) Meanwhile, I could not WAIT to get to the water fountain at every opportunity. That was right before my diagnosis, obviously.
I think it's wonderful that you seek to find out as much as possible about the emotional effects of living with T1, so that you can feel true empathy for your daughter. But I must say, living with it as a kid isn't nearly as difficult as living with it as an adult, in my opinion! As a child, you have a wonderful amount of innocence and, well, ignorance about the potential complications and long-term effects of T1. I remember I had a live-in-the-moment type of outlook, like every child does, and it was great. The most difficult feeling for me when I was little was feeling different. I struggled with that, but every child is different, and a child who is outgoing and not as shy and unsure of herself as I was probably would not struggle with it or think twice about it. I can only speak for myself in that regard.
One thing my mom did that really helped me was she refused to pity me. We constantly talked about the great things that T1 had brought me: a sense of maturity, an ability to keep an appropriate outlook and perspective (and not sweat the small stuff), a tireless work ethic and amount of tenacity and attention to detail, a deep respect for my health and my body... I could go on and on. Whenever I said to my mom, "IT'S NOT FAIR that I have to deal with this!!" she would say, "I'm sorry, but you know what? LIFE is not fair." And that would be it. It seems sort of harsh now, but I appreciate her for that response now. You cannot afford to have a "poor me" attitude with T1, in my opinion.
Hopefully your daughter will not still have T1 (and we'll ALL be cured) by the time she is my age. But if she does, she will appreciate knowing the good things that T1 has brought her.
God bless,
Katie