Moving Forward
Want to learn more about taking care of your JA? You’ll need help from your parents and doctors. Here are some ideas to get their support.
Step 1: Speak up!
Ask for what you want. Be specific. Do you want to know how to explain JA to your friends? Ask your doctor or nurse for tips. Do you want to help prepare your medications? Ask your parents. Pick a time when they’re not too busy to listen.
You may not get everything you want. Still, speaking up can help. It’s your chance to voice your ideas.
Step 2: Show that you’re ready.
Don’t just tell your parents and doctors you want to learn more. Show them! Try to keep up with your exercises. Try not to complain about shots or taking your medicine.
Sound too hard? There are other ways to show you’re ready. Do your homework on time. Do your chores around the house. Be nice to siblings, even when they’re annoying. (OK, that’s tough stuff, too!)
Step 3: Relax.
Remember when you learned to tie your shoes? It was hard at first. It was probably confusing, too. But with practice, it got easier. After a while, you got really good at it.
Learning more about JA works the same way. It takes time to learn new skills. With practice, it gets easier. In time, it will be easy to do things like explain your JA to friends and help with medications.
Sometimes you will make mistakes. Everyone does. You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t have learn everything you need to know about JA all at once. You have plenty of time.
