#1606 Winn Dixie Eggs
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Caitlyn, now 16, returns from Episode 458 (“Cutting on Cam”) to share her Florida teen life with T1D.
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Scott Benner 0:00
Welcome back, friends. You are listening to the Juicebox podcast.
Caitlin 0:13
Hi, my name is Caitlin. I'm 16 years old, and I'm from Southwest Florida. If
Scott Benner 0:20
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Caitlin 1:49
Hi. My name is Caitlin. I'm 16 years old, and I'm from Southwest Florida.
Scott Benner 1:52
Caitlin, you've been on the show before. How old were you the first time? Oh
Caitlin 1:57
my gosh, I don't remember. I was actually thinking about that last night I Oh, was I like, nine or 10, I think,
Scott Benner 2:05
were you on by yourself, or was there a parent with you?
Caitlin 2:08
I was by myself. And then towards the end, you had my mom come on for, I think, like, six or seven minutes, maybe. Do you remember what we call the episode, called cutting on cam, because I was talking about my
Scott Benner 2:20
brother. Oh, that's right, you made fun of your brother the whole time. Wait, yes, I did. That was how long
Caitlin 2:25
ago I'm looking I have no clue. Actually, I found it like not too long ago, but I forgot to look at the date I'm looking at
Scott Benner 2:35
it. It's episode 458, it was posted in March of 2021, which just means we probably recorded it at the end of 2020. Yeah, we did this during
Caitlin 2:46
covid. Yes, yes, I know. I remember we did it during covid.
Scott Benner 2:50
No kidding, 458, I think I put up 1555, the other day. Insane. All right, and wait And how old were you back then? 11?
Caitlin 3:00
Yeah, I would have been 11. That's
Scott Benner 3:02
crazy. Okay, all right, well, this will be fun. What made you want to come back on?
Caitlin 3:06
I mean, it's been a while since we've talked, and I'm also in high school, so a lot of things have changed. I guess. I don't know. I
Scott Benner 3:13
want to find out what changed. So if you had to, well, let's give people like a just a high level overview of yourself, like, So how old were you when you were diagnosed? I think I was eight, eight. So I spoke to you three years into diabetes. I believe. So, okay, all right, and now you're, gosh, seven years in eight. Eight years, yeah. How long does it feel like you've had type one? Feels like I've had
Caitlin 3:39
it my whole life. I'm not used to. Like, I can't remember what it was like to not have to Bolus before I eat, or having to change all my devices every three or 10 days. Like, I don't remember a time before that. I honestly don't remember anything pre covid.
Scott Benner 3:54
I'll say that you don't remember anything pre covid. How long were you locked away?
Caitlin 3:58
It's so weird. I will be told things, and I'll say, Was that before covid, and somebody will go, oh yeah, it was. And I'm like, I can't remember that. It's weird. I
Scott Benner 4:08
find that television feels different before 911 and after, and I don't know if that's real or just something that it may be like, I feel like, I don't know. Like, I feel like, like television was wholesome is not the right word, but I don't know. Maybe, maybe it's not that it was more wholesome. Maybe that it's that I feel less maybe I feel more jaded now, yeah, yeah, that's interesting. So you don't remember anything, bro, okay, well, hopefully nothing important happened those first eight
Caitlin 4:41
years? Well, I mean, like, I remember diagnosis, and then there's certain things, like, I have really good memory. I can remember things from even before I was three years old. I remember holding my brother in the hospital when he was born and I was two months away from being three and but just like little, tiny, simple things from school, like. School field trips. I don't remember them at
Scott Benner 5:02
all. Trust me, I don't remember anything from when I was that age. So it's just gonna get farther or farther away. In your memory,
Caitlin 5:07
it's mostly school things like school before covid was so different that I just like, I think I blacked it all out.
Scott Benner 5:15
Did you prefer it one way or the other? Do you hate the way school has become?
Caitlin 5:18
It's a big shift, I'll say, because everybody's so much older now, like, I remember like, being in middle school, and it was so different from elementary school. And then now, when I look back at it, I'm like, it's a lot different, because everybody's obviously older, so everybody's more mature. But then it's like, also a lot of things changed, because I went to my sixth grade year was the CO it was like, 2020, to 2020, 21 so we had masks, and there was a bunch of repercussions that we had to follow and or not, repercussions precautions we had to follow. So it was very different. It was a big switch. I'll say,
Scott Benner 5:52
I think you were melding together repercussions and precautions. When you say, I
Caitlin 5:56
do that all the time. Now it's really bad. You morph words. Basically, I don't remember what the word was, but it was actually like two weeks ago, I was mixing two words together, and I couldn't figure out what I was trying to say.
Scott Benner 6:07
That's fun. Hopefully you'll do that more while we're talking. Yeah. So what do you think has changed for you about diabetes since we spoke last though, I mean, what's your been your biggest shift?
Caitlin 6:18
Well, I'm on the instead of the Omnipod dash. I'm on the Omnipod five so and I have the app on my phone, which is so much nicer. I will admit that
Scott Benner 6:28
better than having to carry like a secondary device, yeah, it's
Caitlin 6:31
so much nicer. It's literally just in my back pocket, and it's so easy for me to access everything. And also, like, corrects for myself, which is nice. Yeah, you like the the automation, yeah, it's a lot nicer. And then also, I'm on the g6 I believe I was on the g5 when I last
Scott Benner 6:49
spoke. I think you very well could have been. It's a long time ago. Yeah,
Caitlin 6:54
we're trying to get on the g7 I've used it before, but never when it was connected to my phone, but now you can connect the g7 to the app, so we're trying to see if we can get the g7
Scott Benner 7:05
why would you not be able to do, you know, because we don't have any What? No. I mean, like, is your, like, insurance stopping you, or your doctor, or, I
Caitlin 7:14
don't know if she ever got a response from my endocrinologist, but she had asked, Oh, I see if we could. So we're not sure. I'm not sure. I think she probably knows, but I wouldn't there's
Scott Benner 7:23
probably a glitch in the system. Somebody asked somebody, and then somebody probably dropped the ball along the way, and then life gets busy, and you don't check in anymore. You're like, Ah, this thing's working. So you're, you've been automated with Omnipod five for how long? Maybe about a year. Okay, what are the big differences between automation and not automation? No, it's been more than a year, longer than a year.
Caitlin 7:44
I'm a liar. I don't know how long, but I think maybe three.
Scott Benner 7:48
Okay, that doesn't make you a liar, though. Caitlin, don't worry. But tell me, what's the biggest difference like is it around meals? Is it around activities? Where do you see the bigger benefits for yourself?
Caitlin 7:59
The bigger benefits is my blood sugar can, kind of, it will elevate itself, like, if it spikes up, it'll level out, which is really nice. I don't have to, like, always be messing around with it, or always looking because if it's high, it'll correct me on itself. But then also, if I were to put in, like, a correction, it'll take insulin away, or it won't give me anything, because it's like, we've already corrected it for you, yeah, which is nice, just the only, like, I guess it's not a good benefit. It's around activities, because it my blood sugar could spike because right before I go to practice, I eat dinner, which can be really early sometimes, like at four o'clock, because I'll have practice for like, four hours, and then it'll spike up. And then, as I'm working, it like doesn't know that I'm doing activity, so my blood sugar will drop, but then it'll also correct me, so it drops
Scott Benner 8:52
really far, I guess, four hours. What are you practicing to be an astronaut? What are you doing?
Caitlin 8:55
I'm a dancer on a competitive team, so we have a lot of practices.
Scott Benner 9:01
Okay, is that a lot of moving than sitting around and listening, or is it constant movement? It's a
Caitlin 9:07
bit of both. Towards the beginning, it's more like getting to know everybody and getting to know the choreography. But once we hit like, I think it's November, is when we really start to work, and we continue working up until May.
Scott Benner 9:23
So if you have a meal at four o'clock and you miss it on, like a Bolus and you spike up, then what happens during dancing?
Caitlin 9:31
It's usually drops. It's like a 5050 shot. Sometimes it'll level out, and sometimes it'll drop really low. It really just depends on what we're doing, because not every day is the same. Yeah, it kind of messes around a little bit, and that can be a lot, because I my mood tends to change a lot too. When my blood sugar is high or low and it's like, not really good for the people around me. I guess there have been times where I would get really agitated, especially around the littles, because I work with I volunteer. Here for some of like, the classes with the five and six year olds. And I am very good around kids. I will never yell at a kid, or I'm very nice, like, I won't yell at them or scream at them. And there have been times where I'd get really agitated, really quick, and I'm like, I'm sorry, can I step out of the room for just two seconds? And it's usually my blood sugar is the
Scott Benner 10:18
problem is it usually high or low? When that happens, it's usually high. Okay. Have you ever tried going to dance without eating and eating after dance?
Caitlin 10:26
It usually depends on the day, actually, because Mondays, I'm last this is, I'm talking about like last season, because we just ended in May. So last season, I was at practice from four to eight on Mondays. Tuesdays was six to eight, and then Wednesdays was six to seven. So Mondays, I'd eat at four. Tuesdays, I would eat at eight, and then Wednesdays, I would eat at like 730
Scott Benner 10:52
Okay, do you find your control better without an active Bolus and a meal in you while you're there?
Caitlin 10:59
Sometimes, because it usually sometimes on, I know, Tuesdays and Wednesdays, I would do this, it would drop, but then I'd be eating right after, so it would kind of like fix itself. But if I weren't to eat on the Mondays, when I was there from four to eight, it would be all over the place, like I'd be stepping out of the room every five seconds, because it would
Scott Benner 11:18
just drop. Do we get low? Because that a more active day?
Caitlin 11:21
Yeah, that's when I'm at practice. I'm, like, not sitting down for four hours. Basically,
Scott Benner 11:27
yeah, you're really hustling and moving. Yeah. Okay, so on those days, you definitely want to eat before but, but you're saying you need to make a good Bolus for that meal to stop a spike. Yeah, yeah. Are there things that you prefer to eat before you dance,
Caitlin 11:41
I usually will try to eat, have a protein, a carb, and, like, a vegetable or fruit. I found that those work really well if I just have, like, a healthier meal. I guess,
Scott Benner 11:49
awesome. How does it feel for someone to tell you that your personality isn't the same when it's not a thing you're doing on purpose?
Caitlin 11:56
Personally, I'm not, like, hurt by it or anything like I understand, and I'm like, okay, so I need to figure out a way to kind of shift, because I don't like being mean to people. That's one thing. And I don't know if I feel like I've upset somebody. I feel really bad, and I will hold on to that for so many like, I'll hold on to that for a while, and I'll feel really bad. So if somebody was like, I can kind of tell when I'm shifted a little, and then I just will figure out a way
Scott Benner 12:21
to fix it. What does it feel like internally? Like, how can you tell I mean,
Caitlin 12:26
I will, like, there are certain things that I'll say, and I will say it, and then I'll go, that was really out of character for me. I don't know why. I just said
Scott Benner 12:32
that, okay. And then that makes you feel like my blood sugar must be high,
Caitlin 12:36
yeah? And sometimes I'll look and I'm like, okay, so it's a little higher up. Maybe that's why, because I usually, I don't get aggravated at people that often. I'm a very difficult person to make mad. I guess. Interesting,
Scott Benner 12:48
is it discouraging or upsetting that there's a shift in your personality that has nothing to do with you? Like, if you didn't have diabetes, this wouldn't be happening. You know, I'm saying, like, if you're on the dance team, and I run up to you, and I What's that was, remember that girl that there's no way you remember this the ice skater with a pipe so she couldn't skate in the Olympics? Oh, yes, I've, yeah, I've heard that story. I come up and I pipe you Okay, and now you can't dance. That's not your fault. You're frustrated by that. Now I'm not dancing because something outside of my control unfairly, you know, crippled me. And so if your blood sugar goes up, is that not the same thing? Like, didn't something outside of your control change your ability to do something? I mean, kind of you're so young, I'm making you think way too hard about this. I'm sorry. I just like, I don't, I don't think I've ever thought of it like, No, I know. That's why I was asking the question. Don't worry, later, we'll, uh, bitch about your brother a little bit. I can't wait to find out about cam.
Caitlin 13:48
There's, it's really not that much. I'll say that there's not much
Scott Benner 13:51
Cam's a big nothing. Is that what you're here to say this time? No,
Caitlin 13:55
he just he's 13, so he's at that age where he'll mind his own business and all mine, mine we don't really like. He doesn't aggravate me that often, because he's usually just in his own little bubble, and I'm in mine. I guess.
Scott Benner 14:09
How many other brothers and sisters? Any? It's just him, just him, just him. Oh, your parents just made that one mistake of having one more kid. No, you like him? Yeah,
Caitlin 14:18
obviously I'm gonna love him because he's my brother. But it's just I kind of nice that he doesn't aggravate me as often as growing
Scott Benner 14:26
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Caitlin 17:00
My mom is very involved. She will always help me with, like, both my parents drive me to if I have, like, a an appointment with my Endo, they'll drive me there. But my mom helps out a lot, especially with dance, because a lot of the people at the studio, they don't know, or, like, they don't know how to work it, like, control it, or anything. Like, if I have a low blood sugar, they don't really know what to do. So my mom always will tell them, like, this is what needs to happen, and if this happens, call me. Or if this happens, just like, there's stuff there, she's very helpful with it.
Scott Benner 17:34
Awesome. Your dad less so or on the same level as your mom,
Caitlin 17:39
I'd say they're on the same level, just my mom, I My mom also, she works from home. So if something happens, my mom is always like the first one I can text to answer, because my dad, he he works, he's an owner of a business, so he's always like, on the run, or he's on the phone calling somebody. So I'll usually go to my mom first,
Scott Benner 17:58
yeah. If you contact your dad, he's gonna say, was mom not home?
Caitlin 18:01
Yeah. Or if I text mom, she'll go, like, if she's busy, she'll be like, just call like, whoa, text dad or something.
Scott Benner 18:08
Okay, so that's good. So they both have like, kind of an equal value for you on this. Yeah, awesome. Is that
Caitlin 18:13
comforting? Yes, I like, I don't know what I would do without them. I guess especially at such a young age,
Scott Benner 18:19
are there times when that's really evident to you, like something goes wrong, and have you ever thought like, Oh, my God, thank God, these people are here?
Caitlin 18:28
Yeah, I had a an incident. I think I was in seventh grade. Yes, seventh grade. It was towards the beginning of my seventh grade year, and I had a really bad low happen, and I was on the bus on the way home, and my blood sugar dropped, and it was like 30, and it was still dropping, and I was giving myself sugar, and nothing was working, and I couldn't move my left arm like it went weak. I couldn't lift it up. And I had my friend take my phone and call my mom. I was like, I need you to call. I was crying, actually, because I was like, I don't know what I'm doing. I thought I was going to pass out. I got tunnel vision. I was like, Can you call my mom and like, have her do something, because I it was out of my control at that point because I couldn't move. Yeah, and my mom was like, talking to the bus driver, and was like, You need to pull the bus over, and then they called my dad, and my dad, thankfully, he works close to where I live, and we were almost to my bus stop, so he sped over really quickly and got me, like, all fixed up and everything.
Scott Benner 19:32
No kidding. Now, are you famous after that on your bus? Or are people, everybody
Caitlin 19:36
kind of forgot about it, I guess, because nobody said anything the next day. And I was really, like, nervous. I was ready for somebody to say something, and I was like, I don't want to talk about it or hear it. I just remember when I got home, I thought about it in my head. I'm like, people are going to talk about this, and I'm going to be really embarrassed, and I'm just gonna have to pretend like it didn't affect me. But it, for sure, did. Yeah, people were cool. I guess. And they just, like, saw that the bus was pulled over, and I was just and, like, I was getting walked off by my dad, and that was really
Scott Benner 20:07
it. Generally speaking, how are kids with the diabetes? Do they mention it? They bother you about it? Are they supportive? What's your findings
Caitlin 20:16
it? It really depends on how I know them, like, how well I know them. Because when I was younger and I first got diagnosed, my class was very understanding. I was I had the same group of kids kindergarten all the way through fifth grade, so they knew me very well. And when they heard that I was diabetic, my teacher kind of gave them like a rundown of what it is. And like, you know, this is how this is going to work now. And they, honestly, they were very supportive. They helped me, especially my really close friends. They helped me out a lot. And then once I got to, like, middle school, there was a couple of kids who I had to meet because it's a new school, and it went from just being the same group of kids to seven different groups of kids, and some kids didn't understand it, I guess, right? They didn't have background to them, yeah? And they would, they would crack jokes here and there. But my friends, they were like, you can't say that. Like, that's not something you need to
Scott Benner 21:10
say, right? Just, like, dumb, thoughtless, like, sugar jokes and stuff like that,
Caitlin 21:14
yeah. And then they also confused type two with type
Scott Benner 21:18
one. Oh. They thought you did something to give yourself diabetes, yeah, okay.
Caitlin 21:22
And then my friends would be like, No, you don't know the difference. Like, that's why you can't say that. If you don't know what it is, why are you saying it? Yeah. And then once I got to high school, they didn't like, I don't hear anything about it,
Scott Benner 21:32
yeah. Did that make you feel any sort of way when they misunderstood?
Caitlin 21:35
Yeah? Because I was like, why are you saying stuff? But you don't know what it's like. You don't know what it is because I like, I won't say anything if I don't know what it
Scott Benner 21:46
is, kind of frustrating then that they didn't understand, but they felt comfortable talking about it, yeah, okay, but never hurtful. Like you didn't feel like it didn't feel personal.
Caitlin 21:57
It kind of did, but I was really good at I guess, hiding it, I don't
Scott Benner 22:01
know. Is that a thing you've ever thought about since then? Like it present day? Is that a thing that bothers you? Or no,
Caitlin 22:07
no, because I don't hear much about it. And if any kid when I was younger did something like, my friends would pull them aside and be like, you can't say that, and then they would apologize. So it was always it was always good after that,
Scott Benner 22:18
just a core of badasses with bats, like holding kids in corners and lockers, telling them, Hey, don't talk about Caitlin like that. Or was it done
Caitlin 22:25
more they would, they would just come up to them and be like, you can't say that. Like, that's not something you should say about people, because what if that
Scott Benner 22:31
was you? Oh, so, just good old fashioned reverse peer pressure. Then kind of, yeah, hey, listen, whatever works. Do you date? Is that a weird question?
Caitlin 22:39
No, I don't, do you
Scott Benner 22:41
think about it sometimes, I guess just I don't know what is dating look like when you're 16? I'm gonna sound very old for a second. Caitlin, so don't laugh at me. But like, you go to a movie, you go out and get, like, like a drink, to get like a soda, or go to a diner or something like that. Like, what do they do?
Caitlin 22:59
Well, one of my friends, her and her boyfriend, they go on like, little kind of, like lunch dates, especially because it's summer right now and they also play the same sport, so they'll usually drive to practices together. They're both very supportive with each other, which I like, I love to see that, yeah, and, I mean, yeah, I guess, like movies too, work, I know a bunch of like, lunch dinner dates usually happen, or even breakfast sometimes, but
Scott Benner 23:22
that's not something you're interested in right now.
Caitlin 23:25
I mean, like, if the opportunity came, maybe just where I'm at right now, I'm okay by myself, because I'm, you know, I'm not yearning for it. I guess I
Scott Benner 23:35
just, I understand, but if the right boy showed up, you'd maybe talk differently about this. Yeah, I got you. When I say that, is there a boy? You imagine, like, is there a real person?
Caitlin 23:45
No, if, if there was the right person, I guess, or if I felt like it was right
Scott Benner 23:49
person, I'm not rushing you. I don't think you should be dating at all, by the way, yes, I don't think you should even talk to boys because they're dirty. And, yeah, yeah. But you, you know, also, I imagine dance is very there's probably not a lot of boys in your extracurricular activities, right? No, not really. So if you played soccer, you might have a soccer boyfriend, but in dance, you don't have the same opportunity,
Caitlin 24:13
no. But we all just like everybody at dance, you really don't even kind of think about it, because we're all such a close community, I guess. So we're all very supportive of each other, and that's
Scott Benner 24:22
why your mom's got you in dance. She probably loves that you're there for four hours. She's like, there's no boys here. It's perfect. Let her go there. Do you go to competitions and stuff like that, and like travel? Or is it all very local? We
Caitlin 24:37
stay within the state of Florida the furthest we've gone because I'm southwest Florida, I'm like, an hour from Tampa. Am I an hour south of Tampa? I think I'm not sure. This is a question for my parents, not
Scott Benner 24:53
me. Yeah. The compass is very confusing.
Caitlin 24:55
Yeah. And the furthest we've gone north is, or. Orlando, and then the furthest we've gone south is Fort Lauderdale.
Scott Benner 25:04
Okay, so you have travel. I mean, that's, that's a bit of traveling,
Caitlin 25:08
yeah, and then recently that, I think it was, like a week ago, they went to Texas for nationals, because we were invited, but I didn't go, because none of my dances that I was in got asked to go because it was just a matter of who can go, how many are able to get there. It was just picked only, like a quarter of the kids in my dances were able to go, so they didn't bring it.
Scott Benner 25:32
Were you disappointed, or were you happy not to have to make the trip? I mean, I wasn't
Caitlin 25:36
upset about it. It was really fun to see my friends and like my team, because we did really good at Nationals. So it was really nice to see them and to know that, like all the hard work that they all put in paid off, because they did really
Scott Benner 25:49
well. I'm flying to Texas tomorrow. I'm going on a cruise with a bunch of listeners. I actually think it's going to be awesome, but I just don't want to fly. That's I sound not excited about a thing. I'm excited about a thing I'm excited about because I'm like, I have to get on a plane and sit on a plane all day. No, it's okay. It's okay for you. I don't love it, but yeah, so I'm gonna do that. Then I get off the plane, take nappy, go to sleep, get up. Then I'm gonna get on the boat on Monday, and then I guess it's a ship, I should probably say ship. And then we'll, uh, we'll take off. We're gonna go all around Mexico for five days.
Caitlin 26:20
Oh, I've been on one cruise, and that was October 2023, did you enjoy it? Yes, it was very fun. Yeah, I was first cruise I'd ever been on. I got to miss a week of school. I was with my little cousins. So when people would ask me, they're like, oh, did you meet anybody? And I was like, no, because I was really just with my little cousins the whole time. Yeah. And I'm like their babysitter, I guess. So I was just with them, and it was really fun, though I feel like I made the best of it, but I would love to go on another one, and they were talking about it, but it might be not this year, but next year.
Scott Benner 26:53
Okay. Well, let me say two things. First of all, it sounds like your parents took you on a cruise so you could watch your cousins so they could have a vacation. The second thing is, we're going to do this again next year, in June 2026 where we're going to leave out of Miami and go all around the Virgin Islands. That's where we went. Yeah, that's what we're going to do next time. So hopefully we'll get even a bigger group. We have a big group this time, 100 people and yeah, and then next time we're Yeah, we hope it grows and more people enjoy it, so that'll be fun. It's definitely gonna be a good time. It's gonna be a nice little my wife keeps saying it's gonna be a break for you. And I was like, I don't think so. I think it's gonna be a lot of me talking to people and and everything, which is gonna be awesome. But I don't think I'm gonna come back like, relaxed and refreshed. I think I'm gonna be exhausted when I get back. Yeah, but still going to be awesome to meet people by the time this plays. You all will have heard that, uh, that it went well, because we're going to be putting pictures up on social media and stuff. Yeah. Okay, so we're not dating. We're dancing a lot. Your brother's growing up, yes, nearly the pain of the body used to be. Are you driving?
Caitlin 28:00
So I like to say that I'm I like I am, but I'm also not. My parents will say that I'm not driving. I honestly, like I want to drive. I don't have my license, but I have my permit, and I on I like I want to drive, just I don't know why I get so nervous when I
Scott Benner 28:16
do got anything to do with the diabetes or no, it's just driving. So it has a little
Caitlin 28:21
bit to do with that, because when I get nervous, my blood sugar will either go straight up or straight down, and I'm like, I just have to think of all the different like, there's so many, so many things I have to think about that my brain gets really overwhelmed. And then also I'm scared that, like, I'm gonna hit somebody, or somebody's gonna hit me, and then it's just gonna be, like, a whole thing.
Scott Benner 28:39
Let me tell you something that I hope will make you feel better. After you've been driving for a little while, you'll look back on this moment and realize driving is actually pretty easy. That's why I keep telling myself, when you stop and break it down, it feels like so much I'm driving this big thing, it could kill somebody. I could kill myself, right? I could kill the people with me. We could just crash, and it could be expensive, and even if nobody gets hurt, it's going to be a big pain in the butt, and my parents insurance is going to go up, and I'm going to get in trouble. And you know all this, right? Like, those thoughts, then you're like, you feel like you have to be aware of your own car and staying in the lane and not driving too fast or too slow and breaking on time. And there's other cars. And do I look this way or that way? When you break it down, you think about it. It's overwhelming. Once you're good at it, all of that stuff just happens automatically. Yeah, think of it like this. Did diabetes used to be more encompassing? Did you spend more time thinking about it and worrying about it than you do today? Yeah, it's the same thing. You just need experience. Yeah, that's it. So you got to go out in parking lots and places like that until you feel more comfortable checking your blood sugar. What? What I just hear, are you checking your blood sugar? Oh, no, that was my water. Oh, your water box like she's I didn't want you to be like said, you get nervous. Maybe your blood sugar gets higher or less. I thought it might be, Oh, yeah. Her, you like, check my blood sugar, Scott, I have a CGM. Thank you. And why would I be nervous making your dumb podcast?
Caitlin 30:07
It like clicks like it has, like the part where you sip out of it and then it clicks down. And I guess it was too loud. No,
Scott Benner 30:13
it wasn't too loud. I just, I just heard it. So what we did with Arden, what I did with Arden is I took her to a local like, like, a community college that's near us, so it's a big campus with a lot of roads and a lot of parking lots, and we just went in there and just drove around, like we went in on the weekends when nobody was there. And we just drove around, like, up and back and stopping and starting and making turns and everything, until, like, I saw that she really had good control of the car, right? Yeah. And then we started going in week on weeknights, when there were some cars there, and she she had her permit, right? And she would drive same thing, like, it's traffic, but it's lower speed. And then one day, I was like, Do you want to drive home? And she was like, yeah. So then she drove home on the road, and then we just build it slowly from there. Now, when she got her license to celebrate, I put her right on the highway, like Martin's first drive was 45 minutes from New Jersey to Pennsylvania on the highway. And I we got there, and I was like, Yeah, all right. She goes, yeah. And I was like, he did great. And then she's like, why'd we do that first? And I said, Well, you did that. You could do any of this other stuff. And so I gave her a bunch of confidence. I knew she could do it, right? So I gave her a bunch of confidence. And then she started driving, and she was
Caitlin 31:32
good. So I've been told something like that, except it's with a truck. Yeah, my because my dad has a truck, and he's like, if you learn to drive a truck, you can honestly drive any car.
Scott Benner 31:41
I taught Arden in a very big SUV. The
Caitlin 31:44
first car I drove was my dad's truck, and that was the scariest thing ever.
Scott Benner 31:48
That's perfect. I saw Arden drive a pickup truck pretty recently, and she was effortless at
Caitlin 31:53
it. It's just, it's a big truck. My dad's truck is really big, and my dad is really tall and like, so I'm like, I guess for average, I'm like, average height for a woman. But in my family, my family is very tall on both sides, like my mom and dad, they're both very tall, so I'm considered short to them. Okay, so having
Scott Benner 32:15
five, five by fours, how tall are you? Like, 5554, I'm 555, okay, and then, and so you're in this car that's set up for a giant person.
Caitlin 32:24
Yes, yeah, because my dad is 640 so it's like, I'm in a very so it's all of our family, like, our whole family has massive cars. And I'm like, I cannot drive these because the first time I drove my dad's truck, I was driving around my neighborhood, and then he told me to go parked in the driveway and I almost hit the garage door.
Scott Benner 32:43
Is that, because how big the car is, could you not judge the front of the truck? Maybe
Caitlin 32:46
I couldn't. I could not judge it. I was like, leaning forward. I'm trying to, like, lean up and over, trying to see how close I am. And then I accidentally hit the gas instead of the brake. I was just, I was like, what happened?
Scott Benner 33:01
My wife drove through her parents garage door when she was learning to drive. Like, drove through it like, was in the garage with the door all over the car. Oh, no, yeah, that crazy.
Caitlin 33:14
My aunt, when she first learned to drive, she she was good. The day she got her permit, she was doing really good. And then she almost, I don't know if she almost hit the garage door, or if she did hit the garage door, and then I think she did, and it was like a tiny little bump. And then my grandpa took her on the interstate. That's like, literally that same day, not even five minutes later, he's like, Okay, let's go on the
Scott Benner 33:36
interstate. My mom never drove. She couldn't do it her whole life. She never drove a car. I tried to teach her when I was 16, because I was like, This is so easy, like she'll be but she was bad at it. And I, after she did it, I was like, You know what? Maybe they're right. I don't think this is for you, but trust me, whether it's a big pickup truck or a little tiny car anywhere in between, it's just once you have that feel and that vibe, you can run it like, it'll it'll be okay. You'll just get in, you'll go, you'll never think of it. You won't be, like, looking forward, trying to see over the hood, like, it doesn't work that way. I see some of you people out there driving like you're two centimeters from the steering wheel, like, trying to look through the windshield. Like, sit back, relax. Get a vibe. Like it's how it works good. Just gotta get a vibe for how it all works. And then you'll you'll be okay. You're a dancer, right? Yes, you're athletic. You have good control your body, right? Your body ends up where you mean for it to be when you're doing stuff. It's the same thing. It's the car. The car is just an extension of you through your hands.
Caitlin 34:33
What's also, I guess I'll say, really nice about being a dancer, is my reflexes are really well. So I didn't hit the garage door because had I had not had good reflexes, I would have hit the garage
Scott Benner 34:42
door right? You touch the accelerator, and then you break the time to stop yourself.
Caitlin 34:46
Yeah? That was like. I was like, Thank gosh, I have good reflexes. Because had I had not I would have went right through the cross.
Scott Benner 34:53
Yeah? Well, we don't want that, but, yeah, just get out there and practice more. You'll feel good about it.
Caitlin 34:58
That's what I'm hoping. To do? I want to get my license in July. I hope right or either, like, July or right before the school. School year starts in August. Why do you want it this summer? In July? Like, I want to just be able to drive to school and not have to go on the bus. Yeah, I loved it as a kid. I was like, Oh my gosh, I get to go on a bus in the morning. And then as I got older, I'm like, I have to wake up really early, because our school starts at 710 in the morning. Like, that's when first period starts. And my bus would pick me up at 610 so I would have to be up at five in the morning every morning. And I was like, this is such a pain, and I wouldn't be home till nine o'clock at night because of practice. So I would literally be up for well over 12 hours, and I would like towards eight o'clock. I'm like, I'm done. I need to go home and go to sleep.
Scott Benner 35:48
Yeah, exhaust. Yeah. Gosh, I if I had to get up at five o'clock to go I mean, I guess I did at some points, but if I had to do that now, I mean, if I had to get up at five o'clock to make this podcast, you guys wouldn't have this podcast. I'm sorry I can't accomplish that. That's way too early in the morning if I go to dentist to get my teeth cleaned, and I have, like, my first big I'm the first appointment of the day, you know? And I walk in there and I'm like, the time you guys get here, and the person up front tells me, and I'm like, oh my god, what time just to leave your house? And then she tells me, and I'm like, Have you ever considered quitting? I was like, this horrible, you know, like, she's like, driving for 40 minutes to get somewhere, and I'm like, oh gosh, terrible.
Caitlin 36:29
The only perk, I guess I'd say, of waking up early is I'm not an like, I'm an early bird. Now, I used to be able to stay up so late at night, I can't even make it past, like, 930 without actually falling asleep, and I can wake up at like, six o'clock and be fine
Scott Benner 36:45
when I just turn to an old person at some point, like, I don't know,
Caitlin 36:49
it's just I cannot stay up late. And my friend, she's a grade younger than me, so she'll be a sophomore, and she can stay up really late. And I'm like, How can you stay up late? We wake up at the same time. Yeah. Do you drink any caffeine or No, I do, and it's probably really bad, but I do. Are
Scott Benner 37:04
you using that to help yourself? I mean,
Caitlin 37:07
I guess kind of, it kind of helps. I just, I can't tell if it will help or not. Is
Scott Benner 37:12
it coffee or soda? It's usually coffee, but,
Caitlin 37:16
like, because it's i to me, I don't know if it's like a mental thing, like, Oh, if I drink coffee, I'm gonna feel awake or like, it actually
Scott Benner 37:24
works? Well, no, I think it works. I think you're you're probably addicted to coffee. How long have you been drinking coffee?
Caitlin 37:30
I think, like, a year. I think it was when I started high school I started drinking coffee. I've never had a
Scott Benner 37:35
cup of coffee. Wow, yeah, I'm on a roll.
Caitlin 37:39
It'll either be coffee or if I'm at a dance competition, because we've had times where I've had to be on stage at seven in the morning, and we'd have to be at the place by six, so I would be getting ready at five in the morning. And the crazy thing about dance competitions is they can start at five o'clock in the morning and end at 12 o'clock at night that same day. Ooh, it's the truth. We've had there was one dance competition. I'm not putting them on blast, though, but this one was always so rough for us, so that's why we did it. Our first competition was that one, because it was like the one thing we just get over with. We would have to do convention classes where you learn from dance teachers, and they give you like combo to learn and whatever for an hour. And you would do that from, I think it was like seven in the morning to one or two o'clock in the afternoon, and then immediately go on stage and compete at three o'clock. And awards wouldn't be done till like 1230 in the morning. Is that
Scott Benner 38:40
a money thing? What do they have a bunch of teams there, and they charge them to be there? Yeah, they're trying to make money. Yeah, no. I mean, this is my son play baseball, you know, the way you dance, and you'd go to tournaments sometimes, and the weather would get absolutely just unplayable. And you'd be like, cancel this. And they'd push it back. And they'd be like, No, I'm not canceling it because we're not giving your money back. I probably have said this on here before, and I don't remember even how old he was at this point, but probably, like, 15. I remember watching Cole play center field and pitch in a driving snow storm. Oh my gosh, one of those fall, like, early fall tournaments, and it just it got cold here fast, like, he pitched two innings, and then he came over to me at the fence, and he's like, I can't, I can't hold the ball anymore. I was, I'm like, you gotta go tell the coach. He's like, my hands like, frozen. I can't, like, Oh no, I can't get the grip on the ball. So they just kept using, you know, they got away from the starting pitchers, and then they just started anybody who could, like, hold the ball for a second to throw it. They asked the people, like, what? Cancel this? Yeah, it was before everyone had great cameras on their phones. So I probably don't have a picture of it somewhere, but I remember taking a photo of it when it was happening and like, you could almost not see him on the phone. Oh, wow, it's crazy. I've also seen them play in Georgia. I think it rained all day during a tour. Remember, they still try to jam games in at night, so they drug them back to the field to play like a 9pm game because the rain had stopped, but the rain stopped, then the weather shifted again, and then the fog rolled in. Oh gosh, and they actually played in a game where the kid in right field described that a fly ball landed three feet in front of him on the ground, and he never had any context for where it was. Oh my gosh. He heard the ball get hit, and then he said, I just stood there, and then the next thing I know, it fell right in front of me. And then it's even
Caitlin 40:37
worse, because people will be yelling at you because they can see it, and they're like, it's right in front of you. And you're just like, I can't just like, I don't see anything.
Scott Benner 40:44
That was the moment they actually finally canceled the game because I think people are like, Oh, I guess I could have hit him in the head. Yeah. Then we got adults to think a little bit, but they played the game long enough that they didn't have to what Caitlin refund our money? Oh, no, we played four innings. That's enough. It's all about money. Everything's money and power. Yeah, remember that as you get older? Okay, it's, you're too young for that, but people are motivated by money and power mostly. Anyway, that's not for today's conversation. That's, I don't, I don't want to scare you. You're still learning how to drive. So what made you want to come back and do this again?
Caitlin 41:16
I mean, I guess, like a catch up, because I'm, I don't see, I honestly don't remember how old I was, but it's been a while. Yeah, been a long while. Yes.
Scott Benner 41:24
I mean, it's been years since you and I talked, yeah, well, I appreciate you catching up with me, and I appreciate you sharing how things are going. You've come this far. Where do you think things are going to like, how do you see, for example, do you think you're going to college? And what are your plans around that? With diabetes.
Caitlin 41:41
I hope to go to college. Like, I really, like, I want to go to college. I want to be a, oh, is it like a pediatric therapist, okay, like a children therapist, I believe is that that's what pediatric means.
Scott Benner 41:55
What would you be, uh, theraporizing. I was trying to make a board and I couldn't find it. But what would you be? What would you be helping the kids with? See, I haven't thought of it that much, but that's like, Is it physical to you, or is it like speech,
Caitlin 42:07
more mental? I cannot do like physical therapy or anything like that. I just, I don't know.
Scott Benner 42:11
You can't do physical therapy. You don't, you don't think you could learn the parts of the body.
Caitlin 42:16
I struggle with human anatomy because there's so many bones that, just like, have the most random names. And I'm like, I'm like, No, I can't that's too much.
Scott Benner 42:26
I'm not remembering all that. So something where you might help kids with their their struggles that are maybe more psychological or behavioral, something like that. Okay, that's pretty cool. Do you want to dance in college? I know there's dance teams, right?
Caitlin 42:40
I want to try to, and if I can't do like a dance, like dance in college, I want to hopefully come back to my studio and help out with them, and then maybe do like guest choreography is something I love, like I like doing,
Scott Benner 42:55
so there's an age limit on the team.
Caitlin 42:58
Yeah, once you graduate, you can't, I think it's once you're 18. Okay, yeah, I think it's 18. It's ages five to 18.
Scott Benner 43:07
Okay, and so do you imagine yourself going to school in Florida or traveling to another state?
Caitlin 43:14
I'm hoping to go to stay in Florida. I want to stay in state, just it's really wherever it goes, I guess.
Scott Benner 43:21
Yeah, I'm sorry. What grade are you in? Right now? I'm going to be a junior. Going to be a junior after the summer. Yes, while you're a sophomore, you just finished your sophomore year. Yes, you're making me feel old. It's crazy. Do you feel old?
Caitlin 43:34
Actually? Yes. Because it hit me last week, I was looking through these yearbooks that my friend has, and they were really, really old yearbooks from when I was in, I think, like, sixth grade. And I was looking at them because their little sister had them. And I was seeing these kids who are in fifth grade at the time, and I know one of the I know a couple of them personally, and then I was doing the math in my head, and I go, Oh my gosh, they're going to be freshmen this year. Yeah. And I remember meeting them, and they were, like, six or seven years old, messes you up a little bit, right? Yeah, there was one girl in particular. I was like, I knew her since she was four years old. What do you mean? She's gonna be a freshman in high school, and then also with my little cousins as well, because my the oldest, he's gonna be in fifth grade. And then another kid that I've known, his older brother was a really good friend of mine, and he's going to be in fifth grade as well. And I've met that kid since he was a month
Scott Benner 44:27
old. Wow, wait a year. A senior, and you see those freshmen come in, you're going to be like, they're going to look like little
Caitlin 44:33
babies too. That'll be my brother. Actually, my brother will be a freshman when I'm a senior. Oh, you're
Scott Benner 44:37
going to get to go to high school with him one year. Yeah. And
Caitlin 44:41
we haven't been in the same school since I was in fifth grade. You're gonna be nice to him, yeah? I mean, I'm like, if he needs help with anything, I'm obviously gonna help him. But if he's, like, doing something stupid and he has control of it, I'm like, I like, I can't help you there. You know, it's
Scott Benner 44:56
funny. I mean, it's obvious you're 16 versus 11. When the last time I talked. You. But when I got you to, like, say bad stuff about cam, you were so, like, gleeful about it when you were little. You were like, That kid's a jerk. It was so much. I don't remember a lot about this podcast, but I remember the absolute joy that you spoke about him with when you were talking about him when you were 11. That's great.
Caitlin 45:17
He listened to it. I'll tell you that he did listen to it, and he was like, I don't care. I'd say the same thing about her too.
Scott Benner 45:22
Yeah. I mean, fair is fair, right? So are you on a good track? You think you'll be able to get into college? Your grades going? Okay,
Caitlin 45:29
yeah. I mean, like, it could all I mean, it could obviously change,
Scott Benner 45:33
but Caleb, are you gonna say can all fall apart or, well, like,
Caitlin 45:37
you never know. I mean, I'm good in school. I don't do anything bad. I usually have A's or B's in classes. It really just depends. I'm taking a lot harder classes now, now that I'm an upperclassman, so it may be a little difficult, but I usually figure out a way to, like, make it easier
Scott Benner 45:54
when you say, I don't do anything bad, and you start thinking about other people your age. What do you see kids your age? Doing that shocks you
Caitlin 46:01
like drinking or smoking, like doing substances and stuff
Scott Benner 46:06
drugs? Yeah, yeah. What's the popular drug in amongst your people in your grade? It's usually vapes. Vapes, okay? Are the big ones? Vapes with weed or vapes with tobacco? Or not tobacco?
Caitlin 46:19
It's, I think it's weed. Okay? I'm I believe that seems to be
Scott Benner 46:23
popular. Do you see kids doing anything harder, like cocaine or anything like that?
Caitlin 46:26
Not that I've seen personally, Thank gosh. But like, I haven't, I don't think I've ever heard of anybody at my school good ever doing that? There probably is, but I wouldn't know.
Scott Benner 46:37
What about like parties, like blackout drinking, or people getting together on the weekends and just losing their minds. Yeah, a lot of that, yeah. And why do you think you avoid that? It just
Caitlin 46:49
like, never was something that I ever thought of doing, and I know the benefit, like, not the benefits, but like, what could happen if I do start, let's say, drinking or vaping, like, I know what the consequences are. And I've never been the one to, like, want to do that. It's not something you're interested in. Yeah. Like, I don't plan on drinking when I'm older, when I turn 21 you know, maybe, like, I won't go, like, full on, like, oh my gosh, I'm gonna have a drink every day. But, like, I don't
Scott Benner 47:19
know, you might try, yeah, when you hear about kids smoking weed, for example, do you think that's not something that's for me, or do you think it's wrong? Like, do you feel judgment about what they're doing? Or do you just think To each their own, but it's not for me?
Caitlin 47:35
I guess I'd say it's like, both, because I see it and I think to myself, Oh, you know, I personally would never do that, because, like, that's not something I'd want to do. But like, if they do it, that's fine. But then I just think, like, you know, I would hope they know that this is what could happen if it gets to that certain point. Yeah, and just, like, doesn't seem something I want to go down. I don't want to go down that road. Right, right? I'm going to ask you a
Scott Benner 47:57
question. We're not going to dig into the details of it, because that's not important. It's not important. It's not important. It's not what I want to ask. I just want to know your level of like you talked earlier about how like fast things go by that like you reminded me, I'll tell you the setup for this. You talked about getting low on the bus and how people forgot about it very quickly, which made me think about how fast like, social media happens so people don't really focus on things for very long, till the next thing comes along. I didn't articulate that when you were telling the story. It was just a thought I had in my head. So I'm wondering, like, with how you guys get information and how things quickly things move. What's your level of understanding about like, the world? Do you know what's happening? For example, right now in the Middle East,
Caitlin 48:42
I hear about it, like, on the news and stuff, and then also I get like, uh, stuff from, like, in emails and stuff with, I guess, I guess I'd say the New York Times, because I have, I do, like the connections and the word all and stuff. So I get some stuff on it, because there's some people who will talk about it and talk about it and talk about it. I get that it's a problem, what's happening there, but I'm not affected by it. I'm, you know, thank God, I'm not.
Scott Benner 49:09
But it just feels like it's another place. Yeah, like, if it's
Caitlin 49:14
not, if it's affecting somebody I know personally, then that's when I will really, like, dig into it and focus on it. But if it's not affecting my circle, I guess I got
Scott Benner 49:25
you, it's good. It's gonna have to touch you personally before it would. It would be a thing you'd dig into more or feel impacted by. Yeah, I got you so you're aware of it loosely. Is that fair? Yeah, okay. And what about other things? Like, other I don't know. I don't even know what I'm saying. Like, do you know about, like, that food's more expensive right now? Or is that a thing you hear people talking about?
Caitlin 49:48
I mean, I see it a lot. I see it on the news a lot too. I mean, at like, the grocery store with eggs, especially, I saw it firsthand my dad. I think it was, I think it was with my dad. He looked at it and he was. Oh my gosh. These are, like, eight bucks. I
Scott Benner 50:01
remember holding eggs and going, like, we don't need eggs anymore. It's fine, don't worry about
Caitlin 50:05
it. Yeah, I my parents would buy the eggs and I wouldn't use them. And then my mom's like, Caitlin, you need to start using these. And I'm like, I don't want to use them, because I thought that that, like, you would have to go to the store and buy more, and then it would just add up. And she's like, No, I want you to use them. Oh,
Scott Benner 50:20
what a bizarre circle. You got caught in there. She's like, I'm buying these expensive eggs so my kids can get protein and eat and you were like, I don't want to eat these because I don't want my parents that to pay for more. And that
Caitlin 50:31
interesting. Yeah. I was like, What are you talking about? And when we went on vacation, I think every because we had four families with us, I'm pretty sure every family brought a carton, like, bought a carton of eggs and brought them, and I think we took them all home with us. So I was really confused. I was like, Mom, what are you talking about? You want me to eat these? There's four cartons of eggs in here. And she's like, I want you to eat them so they don't go bad. And I just wasted my money. And I'm like, wait, I'm gonna eat them all, and then you're gonna go to the store and buy more, and then you're wasting your money, either way. I was like, I feel really bad.
Scott Benner 51:01
Well, listen, when I grew up, my mom would buy food and then not give it to us, what? And we'd be like, Can we eat that? And she'd say no. And I'd be like, why she goes? Because I can't afford to afford to buy more of it. And I was like, well, then what do we buy it for to begin with? There was a lot of confusion around that. I think it's just a way of thinking about things. Your mom is like, this is expensive. Go use it. My mom was like, this is expensive. Don't touch it.
Caitlin 51:24
So funny. But then also, it was four carton of eggs that expired around the same time. And I don't think she would want to throw away a whole carton of eggs because they weren't
Scott Benner 51:33
having a souffle over there a big, uh, a big egg scramble or something, trying to use we did a lot of baking that week. I bet where'd you go on vacation that you came back with all those eggs. It
Caitlin 51:43
was actually where I was at when we were first supposed to record this.
Scott Benner 51:47
Oh, oh, that's right, yeah, you jumped on like, a week or two ago, and it was so noisy. I'm like, Hey, let's do this later. Yeah. What kind of setting was it like? Mountains, beach, Woods. It's called
Caitlin 51:57
weeky, watchy. It's a springs, and it's like a natural springs, and it's really nice. And we have two houses, and we have two families in each and then there's a bunch of, like, I guess, children, because every family had at least two kids. So they would split it up, girls and boys, and I was in the girls house, and thankfully they weren't in the house, so it wouldn't be as noisy, but it was a little there was a lot going on that day. I'll say,
Scott Benner 52:25
wait. Wiki, it's in Florida, right? Yes. Do you need the spelling for it? Because it felt kind of funny. Got it right here? W, E, K, I, W, A, C, H, E, E, wiki, watch now. There's a thing I didn't know existed.
Caitlin 52:41
It's very nice. It's i It's two hours and 25 minutes from where I live. But it's really nice. You drove the whole way. Yeah, I went straight from my dance recital on the 31st of May to go to there. Do you not usually
Scott Benner 52:56
drive that far? I realized when you just said that, I was like, that seems like nothing to me, but my kids went to school like across the country, so I've, don't I've taken a lot of long rides in my life.
Caitlin 53:05
I've driven further. We've driven to, well, I haven't personally driven, but we've driven to Ocean City in New Jersey and New York. We drove,
Scott Benner 53:15
that's a long drive. Yeah, yeah. No kidding. All right,
Caitlin 53:20
my brother and I were really young. I my brother, he wasn't, I guess you could say conscious, because he doesn't remember. Yeah, it's like, when you're at that age, when you're like, two or three, and you don't really remember what happened, but like, you've been told I remember it. I was six when I went but we were really young, and I don't think my parents wanted to put us on a
Scott Benner 53:38
plane. Think this might be a state park, yeah, is it?
Caitlin 53:42
Yeah, it's like a state park. And then there's a, there's a place called Rogers park that meets at the end of it, and there's, like, houses that you can rent out, or, like, Airbnb is, I guess they're really nice,
Scott Benner 53:56
incredibly clear water, I'll tell you that much.
Caitlin 53:59
Yeah, it's very like you could literally be standing above a six foot, I guess, dip, and you could see straight down. Wow, it's very nice. There's
Scott Benner 54:09
a Hardee's and a Winn Dixie right out on the highway. So if you get hungry, you can head over. Yeah,
Caitlin 54:12
that's where we usually shop. I think that's where all the eggs came from. Was when Dixie, Winn Dixie eggs? Yeah, I believe that's where they came
Scott Benner 54:19
from. Is there anything that we haven't talked about, that you wanted to talk about? Any about, any topics I missed or ideas that I skipped over? No, not really. That's it. So now we're down to Cam, okay, he's not a problem anymore. You're saying
Caitlin 54:32
no, no, he is so much like it's just the whole like he minds his own business. I mind mine.
Scott Benner 54:39
Do you feel like this is just him being more mature, or both of you,
Caitlin 54:42
I'd say both of us, because we used to like nag at each other when we were younger, because, you know, we're siblings, we're little, yeah, and, you know, you just kind of like joke around with each other, and then it kind of gets into more and I've seen it firsthand with my cousins, except it's a little different. Because they're both boys, but they have the same age gap that we do, so and they're 10 and seven, so it's like, that kind of dynamic that my brother and I had, except I'm seeing it firsthand for myself, yeah, and they'll, like, play around with each other, and then they'll nag at each other, and then I'm like, Okay, this is exactly like how Cameron and I were. I see it now I can see how much of a pain this was to my parents.
Scott Benner 55:25
You feel a little bad about it. Maybe, yeah, I'm
Caitlin 55:27
like, maybe I shouldn't have gotten so mad at him so easily. Or maybe I shouldn't have told him that he was stupid or something I don't
Scott Benner 55:35
know. In fairness, you were really young. Yeah, it was funny. I was asking you because it was funny, because I knew you were gonna say, like, goofy stuff about him. But it is interesting. Is interesting to see how your opinion of him has changed, you know, over time. It's really awesome.
Caitlin 55:47
He especially changed. He like, we're, I guess I'd say total opposites, because I am very extroverted, like, I will love to go and talk to people and go around and like, you know, meet people. I love talking, so that's why I love doing podcasts. Like I love doing this, because I just talk and talk and talk. But Cameron, he I could maybe, like a little bit of an extroverted introvert, I guess, because he would prefer to stay home and be with himself than go out and do something, I guess.
Scott Benner 56:17
But he's loud when he's being himself. Yeah, he'll play, he'll play,
Caitlin 56:21
like, Fortnite with his friends, and he's really loud. But thankfully, like, I told him, I was like, Cameron, you cannot be doing this because I am recording this and you'll hear it in the
Scott Benner 56:29
background. Oh, right now, you told him he's gonna calm down. Stop yelling. Yeah, he's holding it together for the time being. See, even that's a better, it's an upgrade. You have nothing to complain. You can't even complain about cam at all. No, okay, well, I mean, that's good, don't you think?
Caitlin 56:49
I mean, we haven't had any problems. I guess he's just at that kind of like, moody teenager age, especially when they start. He just turned 13 in March. So I'll like, tell him. I'll be like, hey, Cameron, because Cameron and I, we flip taking the dishes out of the dishwasher and putting them away. So whenever it's his, like, day to do it. I'm like, Cameron, can you, you know, are you able to do the dishes out of the dishwasher? And he's like, Okay, I'll do it. And then it'll be like, an hour later, and my mom's like, did he take them out? And I'm like, no. She's like, Okay, go tell him. And I tell him. And he's like, Okay, I'll do it. And then he just won't. And then he'll get upset and be like, Okay, fine, I'm doing it.
Scott Benner 57:28
Oh, see, I guess we're done. Cam has learned his lesson. He's going to be fine, by the way. This is all going to pivot again. You're going to get older. He's going to get older. It'll change again. You'll find a way to argue one more
Caitlin 57:38
time. It's kind of crazy. I'm a very like, I guess nostalgia hits me really hard. I guess I could say so when he turned 13, I was like, wow, he's 13. I couldn't believe it, because every time I see him, he's still like a five year old to me, yeah, and I couldn't believe that he was 13. And I was like, I feel like my parents right now, like, this is, must have been what they felt like when I turned 13, except it's their child. But I was like, Cameron is 13, and then my friend's younger brother, they're like, my brother and her brother are best friends. And he turned 13, like a month or like two months later. And I was like, Oh my gosh. Everybody is just growing up. And then also my cousins, you know him the oldest being 10. And I was like, wow, everybody's like, growing up. And there's some times where I'm like, I wish I could just stop growing up and be a five year old again, but, I mean, you can't do that. But just I remember the day Cameron, turning 13. I was like, I felt really old. I was like, why is this happening? He's supposed to be seven. I
Scott Benner 58:39
hear you. I some when it doesn't really happen to me much anymore, but there was a few years ago, look at my son, and he was so much older, but I couldn't think of him being that old. He still felt younger to me in my mind. I mean, it's different now, but, like, it was weird. I'd look at him and I just wouldn't see him the way he was, like, for a while. Yeah. So hear what you're saying. It would be nice to stay five forever. So get a little I wish Little Peter Pan going maybe 16 year olds, you've never seen Peter Pan, have you?
Caitlin 59:07
Yes, I have. I used to, actually, I used to fall asleep to that movie. That's what used to put me to bed when I was younger. Really, we had a it was a very, very tiny, tiny TV, like the screen was really small, and it used to be in my bedroom, and this is in my childhood house, and we had the DVDs, and my dad would put on Peter Pan because I guess that's the only thing I could fall asleep to, is
Scott Benner 59:30
Peter Pan. Oh, that's nice. So do you I'm gonna ask you one last question. Do you have, and if you don't, like, Don't feel pressured just to say anything. But do you have any, I don't know, like, advice or thoughts you'd want to share with other kids your age who are living with type one, anything that you find very, very helpful.
Caitlin 59:46
I mean, I guess if you just recently get diagnosed, it's gonna seem like a whirlwind, like your whole life just flipped upside down, because that's how I felt when it first happened. I was like, Okay, I am not the same person I was. You know, a week ago, after I got diagnosed, just know that you'll be fine, like, everything's going to be okay. And I know that's so, like, so cliche to say, but it's the truth. You're going to be okay. It honestly gets so much easier. And just if you know, be grateful that you have people there to support you, like family members, because they're going to be, like, your lifeline? I remember I literally would be terrified to go to school because I was like, how am I supposed to do this by myself, without my mom? And thankfully, like I had teachers and friends who were very, very supportive and helped through everything. So always, just be grateful that you have somebody, and I get your parents or somebody might nag you and be like, Hey, can you do this? Can you do that? It's gonna get very annoying, but just know that they're doing it to help you and to keep you alive. Because without them, like, if I didn't have my mom or my dad or any, really anybody, when I was younger, if it was just me when I first got diagnosed, I would be so lost. Yeah, it was, like my whole life basically flipped upside down, but they flipped with me. Think of
Scott Benner 1:00:59
it this way. Caitlin, you came on here when you were 11 years old, and you spoke about your brother the way you spoke about him. And now you're here five years later, and you're speaking about him completely different way. So I think maybe the messaging might be is that if somebody's annoying you right now, who's trying to help you, you might feel differently about it in the future, right? So even if your parents are bugging you, like there will be a day that you'll look back and think, Oh, I'm so glad they did that. Yeah, yeah, it's much better to have people who love you, who are involved with your life than the opposite. Yeah, I think that's a good message. I appreciate that. Thank you very much. Please tell your mom. I said, Hello, tell cam. It's sorry we couldn't complain about him. He turned into, I'll be like,
Caitlin 1:01:43
when the episode comes out, you'll be shocked at how completely different it is compared to the first
Scott Benner 1:01:47
one. You were kind to him. He was like, Huh? Things really have changed. Yeah. And good luck getting your driver's license and feeling more comfortable driving. I think you're going to be terrific. Just like I said, just, it's a vibe, like you just gotta go do it somewhere, till you get a feel for the vehicle.
Caitlin 1:02:01
It's just honestly a mental thing with me, because I have been told from people that I'm a really good driver, because I'm very aware. I think it's just me mentally being like, this is what's going to happen, and this is how it's going to go. And I make like, a whole play by play in my head, and it's really not what happens. I just need to get over that. Have
Scott Benner 1:02:18
you driven fast yet? Like, have you been over 60 miles an hour? No, yeah, that's another leap. That's a step. Once you can drive quicker, bring that so for my daughter, what we did was in a big like, a big empty space, once she seemed comfortable with the car, I was like, okay, like, let's go over to this side here. I'm not a trained driver instructor, okay, I have taught two people to drive. So I took both of them into a really, like, open area, paved, obviously, and put them on one side of it. And I was like, okay, like we're in the middle. There's nobody here. There's nothing to hit. Just go drive as fast as you can in a straight line. Just like, stop on it, and I'll tell you when to stop. And so we did that over and over again a couple of times until they realized, like, okay, even when it's going faster, like, this is how I control it, because it's not a thing you want to learn the first time on the highway. You know what I mean, yeah. So we would do that over and over again till, like, that didn't seem I just, I think I was just removing their fears as we were going along, yeah, breaking from a high speed you know about getting up to speed quickly, like giving them the whole vibe. But anyway, my last I have one last driving question for you, yeah, are you very dependent on cat, like your vehicles have cameras in them, or are you very mirror oriented? What do you use when you're backing up and changing lanes and stuff?
Caitlin 1:03:38
I mean, I guess I could say both. It really just depends on the situation. Because if I'm backing up, my mom is telling me, like, you cannot use your backup mirrors when you have to back up or something. But when I'm driving, I'm always looking out of my rear view or my side mirrors every time, because I just like to be aware of what everyone's
Scott Benner 1:03:56
doing. Yeah, my kids are so adept at using cameras over mirrors, yeah, and it took me a lot longer to be comfortable with that, and I just think it's, it's what they grew up with that they were more accustomed to, and what I grew up with was mirrors. So
Caitlin 1:04:11
yeah, I personally like the mirrors better. I guess just when I have to back out, it can get a little tricky, having to, you know, turn around and look over and kind of see because, you know, me being the height I am in a really massive vehicle, it's, like, really difficult for me to see, and then I'm like, I'm gonna hit that car. And there's really, like, six feet in between me and the other car.
Scott Benner 1:04:36
Yeah, I know my girl. Listen, my grandmother used to have a tennis ball hanging from a string in her garage, and she'd pull forward until she bumped into the tennis ball and she stopped. And
Caitlin 1:04:43
I might need that actually, that might help me a lot. We're a car with a camera
Scott Benner 1:04:47
in the front where you can just look and go, Okay, I'll stop now, so we'll see. All right, Caitlin, you were terrific. I really do appreciate you doing this. Thank you very, very much. Thank you so much. Oh, I'm glad you had a good time. Hold on one second. You.
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