Friday, September 2, 2011

Georgia, Jack's Loving Non-Celiac Sis

Georgia and Jack have been buddies since day one.  Only being 17 1/2 months apart they are very close and Georgia has always taken care of her little brother.  Sometimes too much - maybe too many hugs and kisses, but she just loves him so much!

Georgia and her Lil' Bro, Jack - August 2007

Georgia was only 3 1/2 yrs. old when Jack was diagnosed at 2.  At a young age, she learned to say, "Jackie can't have that."  She always watches out for her brother and understands that sometimes we can't have certain things because we don't want Jack to feel left out.

When a family member has celiac disease, the whole family in some ways has it as well.  Jack is our family, our blood, someone we care about deeply and we want him to feel included always.

Two Peas in Pod - Georgia and Jack - Fall 2010

So with that said, here are some tips to help siblings transition as well and to be supportive:

  1. Make sure to say "thank you" to your child for giving up a certain treat or waiting until later for a gluten snack
  2. Make time to take the non-celiac sibling out for a treat they have been wanting - for example, Georgia loves getting ice cream with a cone, so we may do that on our own.  When Jack is with us, she gets her ice cream in a cup.
  3. Explain the disease to your children and let them know that it's a hereditary disease, so they understand that anyone in the family can have celiac disease.
  4. Go grocery shopping together - find foods the whole family can enjoy.
  5. Lastly, stay positive when talking to your children about a gluten-free diet.  Encourage siblings to try gluten-free bread, etc. Because as they get older, most likely dinner time will be gluten-free for everyone!

Georgia, thank you for being a wonderful big sissy to Jack.  You have been patient, understanding and supportive of your little brother on his gluten-free journey. And thank you for always offering a hand when it's time to bake gluten-free cupcakes!   Love Always, Your Momma


July 2010                                             May 2013

Posted by Jack's Momma at 9:39 AM

3 comments:

  1. Awwww... sweet sister! I love the picture of her holding him when he was a baby.

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  2. It's amazing how early they can understand things, isn't it? We just had the conversation with our two and a half year old about certain foods that he has to avoid, including nuts. I was making peppernut cookies, which have neither pepper or nuts in them, but because the name had the word 'nut' in it, our son told me, "Mom, I can't have those, they have nuts in them!"

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  3. Thanks for stopping by Shannon! It is amazing for sure! They are more aware of it than we think!
    BTW, I want to come visit your farm! ;)

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