No Valentine Candy For You!

[WildBill]

I'm really not sure how you balance the needs of protecting children with that sort of allergy while also not preventing the other kids from participating in normal kid things. I've always come down more on the side of the latter, but having the experience of being close to someone dealing with that sort of allergy gives me a little more appreciation for that side of things.

I haven't had children in school for a while, but we used to sent a note to the school nurse [do they have them anymore?] and they would advise the teachers of the allergies. I remember there was a young diabetic girl in school so they made sure that they had valentine treats especially for her. The same information for children allergic to penicillin and bee stings was given to the nurse. Maybe the HIPPA laws prevent that from happening today.

They definitely tell the school nurse and all the teachers. But it's when the allergic reaction is to the point that even a tiny, accidental amount could be life-threatening that you run into trouble. A child who will react if he touches a surface that was touched by someone who had a peanut butter sandwich, or one who will react if she's in a room where latex balloons have recently been, or one who will react even to the gluten in play-doh. I've known children who meet those descriptions. And on the one hand, darn it my kids live on PB&J and they love balloons and I don't know how to cook without flour and I don't think those things should be banned. But on the other hand, what do you say to those kids (and their parents)? Again, I don't have an answer as to how these things should be handled. I just know that I was always one to roll my eyes at the crazy allergy arguments and I'm beginning to see them with more sympathy now that I have a friend who tells me how scary it is to drop your child off at the beginning of the day and know that a small mistake could threaten his life.

I don't remember ever hearing about all of this allergies to things such as peanuts.

It makes me wonder if something else is going on to cause such severe allergic reactions in common foods. Allergic to gluten?

As a child, my youngest brother lived on PB&J sandwiches.

In fact, his older brothers used to call him "peanut butter head".

He is now an attorney who makes more money that all of his siblings.

[Oldgringo]

I'm really not sure how you balance the needs of protecting children with that sort of allergy while also not preventing the other kids from participating in normal kid things. I've always come down more on the side of the latter, but having the experience of being close to someone dealing with that sort of allergy gives me a little more appreciation for that side of things.

I haven't had children in school for a while, but we used to sent a note to the school nurse [do they have them anymore?] and they would advise the teachers of the allergies. I remember there was a young diabetic girl in school so they made sure that they had valentine treats especially for her. The same information for children allergic to penicillin and bee stings was given to the nurse. Maybe the HIPPA laws prevent that from happening today.

They definitely tell the school nurse and all the teachers. But it's when the allergic reaction is to the point that even a tiny, accidental amount could be life-threatening that you run into trouble. A child who will react if he touches a surface that was touched by someone who had a peanut butter sandwich, or one who will react if she's in a room where latex balloons have recently been, or one who will react even to the gluten in play-doh. I've known children who meet those descriptions. And on the one hand, darn it my kids live on PB&J and they love balloons and I don't know how to cook without flour and I don't think those things should be banned. But on the other hand, what do you say to those kids (and their parents)? Again, I don't have an answer as to how these things should be handled. I just know that I was always one to roll my eyes at the crazy allergy arguments and I'm beginning to see them with more sympathy now that I have a friend who tells me how scary it is to drop your child off at the beginning of the day and know that a small mistake could threaten his life.

I don't remember ever hearing about all of this allergies to things such as peanuts.

It makes me wonder if something else is going on to cause such severe allergic reactions.

As a child, my youngest brother lived on PB&J sandwiches.

In fact, his older brothers used to call him "peanut butter head".

He is now an attorney who makes more money that all of his siblings.

Agreed! Our biggest fear when I was in grade school was polio. It seems that nowadays there are excuses and medicines for inexcusable behavior and new afflictions whereas there used to be spankings. One at school and another when you got home.

BTW, you might want to be nice to your rich brother, Mr. PBH.

[WildBill]

I'm really not sure how you balance the needs of protecting children with that sort of allergy while also not preventing the other kids from participating in normal kid things. I've always come down more on the side of the latter, but having the experience of being close to someone dealing with that sort of allergy gives me a little more appreciation for that side of things.

I haven't had children in school for a while, but we used to sent a note to the school nurse [do they have them anymore?] and they would advise the teachers of the allergies. I remember there was a young diabetic girl in school so they made sure that they had valentine treats especially for her. The same information for children allergic to penicillin and bee stings was given to the nurse. Maybe the HIPPA laws prevent that from happening today.

They definitely tell the school nurse and all the teachers. But it's when the allergic reaction is to the point that even a tiny, accidental amount could be life-threatening that you run into trouble. A child who will react if he touches a surface that was touched by someone who had a peanut butter sandwich, or one who will react if she's in a room where latex balloons have recently been, or one who will react even to the gluten in play-doh. I've known children who meet those descriptions. And on the one hand, darn it my kids live on PB&J and they love balloons and I don't know how to cook without flour and I don't think those things should be banned. But on the other hand, what do you say to those kids (and their parents)? Again, I don't have an answer as to how these things should be handled. I just know that I was always one to roll my eyes at the crazy allergy arguments and I'm beginning to see them with more sympathy now that I have a friend who tells me how scary it is to drop your child off at the beginning of the day and know that a small mistake could threaten his life.

I don't remember ever hearing about all of this allergies to things such as peanuts.

It makes me wonder if something else is going on to cause such severe allergic reactions.

As a child, my youngest brother lived on PB&J sandwiches.

In fact, his older brothers used to call him "peanut butter head".

He is now an attorney who makes more money that all of his siblings.

Agreed! Our biggest fear when I was in grade school was polio. It seems that nowadays there are excuses and medicines for inexcusable behavior and new afflictions whereas there used to be spankings. One at school and another when you got home.

BTW, you might want to be nice to your rich brother, Mr. PBH.

My oldest brother Jim did contract polio. Fortunately, a very mild case, and didn't have any lasting effects.

I call my youngest brother Ed. To you he's Mr. PBH, esq.

[mamabearCali]

For the most drastic and severe allergies I think homeschooling really needs to be considered. It is simply not worth the I risk. That limits the exposure potential dramatically. My kids are fine (so far). My mother though has anaphylaxis reaction to wheat and if my sister could have a stroke if she gets into too much msg. So I understand the worry.

We can as a society becareful with common allergens, but at the end of the day only parental/personal responsibilty will keep a person safe.

[Oldgringo]

For the most drastic and severe allergies I think homeschooling really needs to be considered. It is simply not worth the I risk. That limits the exposure potential dramatically. My kids are fine (so far). My mother though has anaphylaxis reaction to wheat and if my sister could have a stroke if she gets into too much msg. So I understand the worry.

We can as a society becareful with common allergens, but at the end of the day only parental/personal responsibilty will keep a person safe.

There it is! Well said, mamabearCali!

[MotherBear]

I don't remember ever hearing about all of this allergies to things such as peanuts.

It makes me wonder if something else is going on to cause such severe allergic reactions.

As a child, my youngest brother lived on PB&J sandwiches.

In fact, his older brothers used to call him "peanut butter head".

He is now an attorney who makes more money that all of his siblings.

I've wondered the same thing. I really don't remember so many serious allergies when I was a kid. I had one friend who was allergic to dogs and horses and -- it seemed to me -- the outdoors in general, and that was fairly unusual. I don't remember anyone with a life-threatening allergy. Seems like something has changed, but I have no idea what might be the cause.

My middle child is like your brother -- if you are what you eat, he's made of PB&J! My oldest and youngest will eat just about anything, but the middle must have been sent to humble me. But if it's the food of future rich attorneys, maybe he's onto something!

For the most drastic and severe allergies I think homeschooling really needs to be considered. It is simply not worth the I risk. That limits the exposure potential dramatically.

I agree, personally. And it's what my friend is doing with her child after having tried a year of public school. It might be different at an older age when a kid can be more personally responsible, but a kindergartener (or younger) with a severe, life-threatening allergy to a common substance is the stuff of parental nightmares if you ask me. But then, I also think the whole public education system is a mess and can't imagine sending my kids for so many other reasons, so it's easy for me to write the whole thing off. Again, hearing from her perspective just got me thinking. It's really a no-win situation.

[Oldgringo]

Of all tyrannies, a tyranny exercised for the good of its victims may be the most oppressive. It may be better to live under robber barons than under omnipotent moral busybodies. The robber baron's cruelty may sometimes sleep, his cupidity may at some point be satiated; but those who torment us for our own good will torment us without end, for they do so with the approval of their own conscience.

-C. S. Lewis

I was thinking somewhat along those same lines :i.e., "...where is the common good...".

[n5wd]

I'm really not sure how you balance the needs of protecting children with that sort of allergy while also not preventing the other kids from participating in normal kid things. I've always come down more on the side of the latter, but having the experience of being close to someone dealing with that sort of allergy gives me a little more appreciation for that side of things.

I haven't had children in school for a while, but we used to sent a note to the school nurse [do they have them anymore?] and they would advise the teachers of the allergies. I remember there was a young diabetic girl in school so they made sure that they had valentine treats especially for her. The same information for children allergic to penicillin and bee stings was given to the nurse. Maybe the HIPPA laws prevent that from happening today.

No, we still get medical alerts for kids who come into our classrooms/labs. And it does seem to me that the number of those alerts are increasing slowly, year by year. I've several who have allergies to common foods, and chocolate is not excluded from that list.

[n5wd]

I don't remember ever hearing about all of this allergies to things such as peanuts.

It makes me wonder if something else is going on to cause such severe allergic reactions.

As a child, my youngest brother lived on PB&J sandwiches.

In fact, his older brothers used to call him "peanut butter head".

He is now an attorney who makes more money that all of his siblings.

I've wondered the same thing. I really don't remember so many serious allergies when I was a kid. I had one friend who was allergic to dogs and horses and -- it seemed to me -- the outdoors in general, and that was fairly unusual. I don't remember anyone with a life-threatening allergy. Seems like something has changed, but I have no idea what might be the cause.

A lot of the considerable research seems to indicate that it's a combination of the chemicals and things we're exposed to in our lives (such as the pesticides sprayed on crops to maximize the yield of a crop, etc) that we also ingest when we eat a particular food that makes us hypersensitive to the food, itself. Then, too, other researchers are having success desensitizing kids by repeated controlled application of the foods that are causing the allergic reaction.

Maybe sometime we'll have a handle on it all.

For the most drastic and severe allergies I think homeschooling really needs to be considered. It is simply not worth the I risk. That limits the exposure potential dramatically.

Which works well if the family can afford to homeschool - having someone to be with the child during the day, loss of wages for that person, etc. Unfortunately, not everyone has the resources to do so.

[MotherBear]

For the most drastic and severe allergies I think homeschooling really needs to be considered. It is simply not worth the I risk. That limits the exposure potential dramatically.

Which works well if the family can afford to homeschool - having someone to be with the child during the day, loss of wages for that person, etc. Unfortunately, not everyone has the resources to do so.[/quote]

With some exceptions, it's a choice that could be made. It has its costs, and sometimes those are significant, but they're rarely as earth-shattering as people make them out to be. If it's important to you, you cut down your lifestyle and make it work. If it's not... well, it's not and that's fair enough. And for those who really and truly couldn't pay the necessary bills on one income, I absolutely sympathize. It's the ones who say, "I wish I could afford it, you're so lucky" and then drive off in the brand new SUV for whom I have no sympathy. You made a choice, it was your choice to make, so own it.

[mamabearCali]

For the most drastic and severe allergies I think homeschooling really needs to be considered. It is simply not worth the I risk. That limits the exposure potential dramatically.

Which works well if the family can afford to homeschool - having someone to be with the child during the day, loss of wages for that person, etc. Unfortunately, not everyone has the resources to do so.

I understand that. It is a hard choice, and not one every family is free to make.

Perhaps there need to be special classes with the children with severe allergies in them until the children are in highschool. I don't know, but they keep getting worse and worse. Parents of kids with medical issues have hard choices. They are not going to get any easier.

[WildBill]

I'm really not sure how you balance the needs of protecting children with that sort of allergy while also not preventing the other kids from participating in normal kid things. I've always come down more on the side of the latter, but having the experience of being close to someone dealing with that sort of allergy gives me a little more appreciation for that side of things.

I haven't had children in school for a while, but we used to sent a note to the school nurse [do they have them anymore?] and they would advise the teachers of the allergies. I remember there was a young diabetic girl in school so they made sure that they had valentine treats especially for her. The same information for children allergic to penicillin and bee stings was given to the nurse. Maybe the HIPPA laws prevent that from happening today.

No, we still get medical alerts for kids who come into our classrooms/labs. And it does seem to me that the number of those alerts are increasing slowly, year by year. I've several who have allergies to common foods, and chocolate is not excluded from that list.

I have co-worker whose wife is allergic to chocolate. He is allergic to oranges. Not grapefruit, limes or other citrus, just oranges.
I have a "humorous" story about him and his wife's allergy. We went on a week-long business trip and ate dinner together every night after work. For the first three nights he ordered chocolate desserts after dinner. On Thursday night he after dinner, he said he really wished he could have the chocolate mousse again since he enjoyed it the night before. He is a fairly thin guy so I told him to go again. He said he couldn't have it because he was afraid when he got home Friday and kissed his wife she might have an allergic reaction. He really loves his wife, so he didn't have the chocolate.

I also wonder about the amount of genetic engineering of foods, additives, preservatives, etc. I am sure that number and amount of foreign chemicals that we ingest has exponentially increased in the last 40 years. That could be a factor in the increasing rate of allergies.

[Oldgringo]

How much does it cost a mother to go to work as opposed to stay home and 'homeschool'? To go to work, one needs:

1. Transportation
2. Transportation fuel
2. Day School x how many
3. Clothing
4. Lunches
5. Babysitters
6. Etc.

Thank goodness, I'm well past the age. I'm just wonderin'....?

[Oldgringo]

{snip}

I also wonder about the amount of genetic engineering of foods, additives, preservatives, etc. I am sure that number and amount of foreign chemicals that we ingest has exponentially increased in the last 40 years. That could be a factor in the increasing rate of allergies.

Good question!

OTOH, we ran with scissors, shot BB guns and drank from the garden hose....all without the benefit of TV and TV commercials.