CheeCha Puffs posted an article about how a school is banning eggs and dairy because of one child’s allergy to them and wow did it spark a reaction. I have to admit that I read some of the comments posted in utter disbelief. Ding ding ding, full on bike racks at 3:30. It was weird to read because we spend so much time teaching our kids to be respectful and how to deal with conflict. Yet when this subject came up all of that rational advice literally flew out the window. Here is the article in case you haven’t read it already: http://www.therecord.com/news/local/article/803744–severe-allergies-at-school-force-parents-to-not-pack-dairy-and-eggs-in-lunches
My heart hurts for that little child with a severe allergy and the parents who are now the bad guys. How did that happen? They were trying to protect their child by talking to the school about their child’s life threatening allergies, the school tried to help out, and now some parents are PISSED. The parents of the allergic child are understandably concerned about the safety of their child, and we can assume the school is also concerned about the safety of the allergic child and perhaps the liability of the school. And, the angry parents are also concerned. Can we not work together to alleviate everyone’s concerns without resorting to anger, rudeness and name calling?
Most importantly we must look at it from a child’s perspective. This might be what some children with severe allergies think “Wow that sure was scary when I had that reaction and went to hospital. Mom and dad were crying, I felt really bad. Good thing I don’t remember much. I’m sad now that I can’t have certain foods because I miss the taste, I miss being able to eat whatever the others kids are having at birthday parties, I actually cry when I get bullied for being different. It’s too bad that mom has to worry everywhere that I go, she seems stressed about it and I’m the one who caused it. Now people are fighting about me going to school, parents look at me with mean eyes, and some teachers don’t even like me. Why did this have to happen to me? Am I an inconvenience?”
Now do you still want to call that kid lacking in the gene pool? Survival of fittest? The reason why I say that is because someone actually said that on the CheeCha Puffs Facebook page. Enough air time for that one.
Let’s take a deep breath, step back and look at the situation. When we were young very few kids had allergies let alone anaphylactic reactions where they might die. The speed at which kids are developing these life threatening allergies is scary. Ya, sure maybe your child dodged the bullet this time, but if things keep on going the way they are chances are someone in your family will be affected in the future. The amount of chemicals in our environment is hurting them and I think we should take all of our spirited energy and focus on solutions. Trust me, it’s not just allergies that chemicals cause and chances are your kids or someone you know will be or has been affected by them.
Whether or not your children are affected please try to have compassion and understanding. These kids didn’t ask for it. They need us to take our own advice and come to a peaceful resolution that has their best interest at heart. For the record my kids don’t have life threatening allergies. Feel free to post your thoughts on this post, they are all welcome.
Penny
Well said; point taken.
My heart goes out to this family. Unfortunatly many people lack the education and understanding of the individual needs of children in our communities/schools. I do not have a child with a life threatning allergy but I do have a child with a life threatning health issue. I believe we can all do better as parents to try and share information so that we can put our children’s best interest first. I hope the parents in this community find a peaceful resolution. I also hope that these parents who are opposed get educated.!
I think it will make parents actually think about what they are putting in their childs diets, and it may be better for all of them. People are scared of change, and having to eliminate two major ‘items’ like eggs and dairy makes one realize how many products etc contain these. We kind of all grew up with peanut allergies being slightly common, but now more kids are having reactions to a wider variety of products (dairy, eggs, nuts, gluten) I would rather take the necessary steps to prevent a child from being hurt by these and having a terrible reaction, then being stubborn and bull headed and not changing my ways.
I completely understand this subject, as I was the kid back in the 1980′s that had severe allergies. I outgrew most of my less serious ones, and I still have a couple foods that are very dangerous to me, but back then I was that one kid in class, who was singled out as the “allergy kid”, with eggs and all kinds of nuts being classified as the most life threatening.
I grew up knowing from a very young age my health had to be my responsibility – because my parents wouldn’t always be there. From early elementary school I was taught to eat only what was prepared for me by my parents, and not accept food from others at school, at parties, or anywhere else. I was responsible for reading ingredients lists, knowing what my triggers were. No one had to accommodate me because I knew what I had to do when I wasn’t with my parents. If someone offered me something and couldn’t tell me word for word what it contained, I said no thank you. If there were no alternatives available, I went without and dealt with it. For other kid’s birthday parties or holiday parties, I was sent with my own cupcake and treats made by my mom, and I stuck to that, even when there were other foods available. At school, teachers and other students were not responsible for my allergy. Other kids could bring nuts and items containing eggs to school, but I knew I had to avoid them and be cautious about what I touched. At the same time, teachers and other kids were aware of my problem, and also knew they had to be cautious around me with those items. Knowledge was the key.
I’m not saying I didn’t make mistakes as a kid…I had a few slip ups. But it was made very clear to me that anything I consumed was my responsibility, and no one else’s. I know the schools want to protect themselves from liability and parents want to feel their kids are not being exposed to anything unsafe. However, taking these foods out of schools doesn’t get to the root of the problem. There will always be piano lessons, Brownies, Boy Scouts, soccer practice, summer camp, day camp, visits to friends – all these instances will place children in a situation where food will be made available – and they will need to have the tools to advocate for themselves.
Once a child is old enough to speak, the parents and the child can begin working together to tackle this problem without causing undue hardship or restriction on teachers, parents and other kids. Safety for kids boils down to arming them with knowledge and ensuring they understand the problem and helping them to deal with it. I feel the parents of children with these health issues should ultimately take on the accountability for raising educated children that are aware of their circumstances, by empowering them with the information to protect their own well-being.