I find this site to be a much better format (for me)than CWD and often get quite frustrated that more parents don't come on here. Its a bit 'chicken and egg' though, in that until more parents come on here, more parents wont come on here, if you see what I mean
Hiya
I think it is each to their own. I don't think that the two can be compared at all. For a start one is a forum and you have to go the webpage, the other is emails and you get them coming into your email account.
Some people prefer forums, others prefer emails. Myself I prefer emails but that is just my choice.
I think people tend to go to where they were first. I found cwd years before I found here so cwd is where I belong most of the time. I have helped loads of families on cwd and asked my own questions.
CWD is just for kids with type 1, so very different than here. Here there are many more adults, both type 1, 2 and others and sometimes you can only get the advice you want about kids from cwd and not here. For example the NICE guidance is different and those on cwd are expert on NICE for kiddies especially where pumping is concerned.
For kiddies families there are not DAPHNE (!) courses etc, that is only adults, so we teach ourselves which is why so many of us are adept at doing it as we are self taught and then help the others. On here many of the adults wait for their course before attempting (not all I hasten to add
🙂) as that is what they have learnt from their teams and so do.
They are different places for different things. I always advise newly joined members here, if they are a parent, to look at our website as it is full of info which can actually apply to adults as well as type 1 kids. I then point them towards the email group. Most like it as they finally find their place in society. It really can be that reason. Some people feel like an oddbod surrounded by family and friends who have absolutely no idea how they feel or what their lives are really like. Even the really lovely people on this forum have no idea how us mums (and dads) feel, so it is sometimes an emmense relief to be where we are all in the same boat. It is a bit like we have no idea how the people on this forum feel (unless the mum has diabetes themself of course). I won't ever pretend to know how they feel, it is totally different to the feelings of having a child with D.
Having said all that I love this forum and I always tell people I meet, both adults with D and parents with a child with D about this forum and cwd, I always give details out of both. I think that as a parent we can take a lot from hear how other adults with D cope with things as that will be our child in the future and for me I need to know it is going to be ok.
I love listening to the younger ones (Shiv, TomH, Sam etc etc) and how they are getting on in their teens and 20's and then others with families etc. It is a small insight into our child's future.
Obviously technology will have moved on again and hopefully our kids will be involved in all that.
I hope that gives people an insight to the differences that both here and CWD give to me and to others as well.
🙂
