The nurse is giving instructions to the mother of a 10-year-old boy who is newly diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus (DM). When attempting to teach the mother how to administer subcutaneous insulin injections to the child, the mother tells the nurse that she is afraid of needles and cannot perform the procedure. Which intervention should the nurse implement?

A. Determine if the child can administer the insulin: At 10 years old, many children with type 1 diabetes can learn to self-administer insulin with supervision. Assessing the child’s ability promotes independence, adherence, and safety while addressing the mother’s fear of needles. B. Ask if the father can help with the injections: Involving another caregiver is appropriate for long-term planning, but the immediate step should focus on evaluating whether the child is capable of safely giving the injection before delegating to others. C. Encourage the mother to handle the needles: Forcing the mother to confront her fear immediately may increase anxiety and hinder learning. Gradual desensitization can be introduced later, but it is not the priority in this teaching moment. D. Assess the mother’s parenting skills: The mother’s fear of needles does not reflect inadequate parenting skills. The issue is psychological, not behavioral, so assessing parenting ability would be inappropriate and unhelpful in this situation.