Hi welcome to health care magic. There are two main types of diabetes: type 1 diabetes which is the one more commonly seen in children and type 2 diabetes which use to be seen mainly in adults. Type 1 occurs when the pancreas which normally produces insulin, does not. This why children when diagnosed are started on insulin from the beginning and not tablets. Type 2 is due to resistance to your body s insulin and as stated earlier it is being increasingly seen in children because the prevalence of overweight and obesity in children is increasing. Essentially increasing means usually means increasing resistance to insulin. About 1 in every 400 children are diabetic. Diabetes does not have to stop you from enjoying life. There are athletes who are diabetic, Halle Berry is a type 1 diabetic. It depends on how the disease is managed, if the parent and child are not able to manage the disease properly then it can be associated with complications but with proper management the sky is the limit. It involves attention to your diet, using the medication appropiately and checking the blood sugar control. Diabetes is often associated with kidney problems, problems with the eyes, neuropathy, increase risk of heart disease, stroke and circulation problems if it is not controlled properly. It can also be associated with high blood pressure and high cholesterol.This can especially be a problem in children who may be overweight or obese. Exercise can help anyone with diabetes- child or adult. By reducing your weight you reduce your body s resistance to its insulin and help to work better. Children with type 1 diabetes are started on insulin. In type 2 diabetes , depending on the age they may be started on oral medication or insulin. Exercise and change in the family s eating pattern is also recommmended. Type 2 diabetes may go undiagnosed for a long time because the signs and symptoms are mild. Type 1 diabetics usually present with extreme thrist, feeling hungry, fatigue, weight loss, passing alot of urine. Some may be very ill and present with- nausea , vomiting, fruiting mouth odor, rapid breathing , abdominal pain. The main side effects of insulin is low blood sugar I hope this information is helpful to you.