Last night, my daughter and I were lying on the couch watching TV when she turned to me and said, "Mommy, what is diabetes?"

Having a family history of the ailment and developing gestational diabetes, I knew exactly what it was but struggled with what to tell her so that her 4-year-old mind could comprehend it to the best of her ability.

"It's when your body doesn't regulate sugar properly." Hey, it was the best I could do.

This morning, my sister called me and said, "I just want you to know that the kids are in the other room playing, and I overheard Jireh tell Moriah to cover her up because she has diabetes and covering her will help her with her sugar."

I laughed until it hurt! She got that diabetes was sugar-related but I have no idea from where the rest of the analysis came. It also surprised me that she heard the term, knew that it was an ailment, and remembered to use it while playing with her cousins.

Of course, my sister told her not to claim diabetes as an ailment, even while playing. But this just goes to show that children listen, comprehend, and often repeat. So, it's up to us to make sure we speak what we don't mind them learning.

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