Allergies/Sensitivities - The Social Responsibility?

[LaneyDoll]

Originally Posted by julieisafemme

My child has a peanut allergy. We carry and epipen and Benadryl. I worry about it a lot in places where I am not able to control things. My child has a mild peanut allergy but the sneaky things about peanuts is that there is always a possibility she could have anaphalactic reaction and die.

Another child in her class has a *severe* peanut allergy as well as allergies to many other things. Our class has a list of things that the children cannot have in their lunches. It is also a vegetarian kosher campus!! So there are a lot of restrictions on what children can bring for lunch. None of this bothers me a bit! We are talking about the lives of these children! Not to mention the lack of anxiety they and the parents feel knowing that their child is in a safe environment. This is a private school. What if this parent could not afford to pay for a private school? What if her child had to attend public school and had a lot of angry people on top of worrying about the safety of her child? I don't think home schooling should be an alternative to an accomodation that a school can make. What about a child who has special needs of some other sort?

I just hope people understand that peanut allergies are deadly. They can come on so quickly that even with an epipen a child can die. The balance between that and a parent who wants to pack a penaut butter sandwhich for their child just does not make sense to me.

Well said!

I would hate to think that a child died because I sent a PB & J to school and they took a bite of it when my child offered to share.

There are too many rules/regulations and what ifs for me to easily say "it is unfair to ask the entire school to avoid PB."

What if the child left their pen at home or on the bus? Or was on the playground and it was in their backpack/teacher's desk?

These are children not adults. These are children who are required to attend school not an adult who opts to expose themselves to an allergy. It is not like someone who complains about going to a smoky bar despite an allergy to cigarette smoke. I am allergic to smoke and I go out and I know it will make me feel bad. But it was my choice to go.

Private school is not always an option; neither is home schooling. My boss home schools and do you have any idea of the expense involved in it? I sure cannot afford it.

If a child wants PB & J so bad for lunch but cannot take it because of an allergy, let them have it for breakfast. No child's life is worth placating a finicky eater.

[1QuirkyKiwi]

I have severe food allergies to red and white meat and shellfish, as well as allergies to oranges, strawberries and kiwi fruits and potatoes….I carry an Epipen with me at all times. I’m aware that anaphylaxis can be triggered by the smell of the meats cooking in the Deli section of a supermarket, so, I avoid that area to the best of my ability.

I eat mainly in vegetarian and vegan restaurants and I take packed lunches to work….with a thermos of soup in the Winter. I don’t expect anyone to blanket what they eat around me, as I can walk out of the room. The only foods I can’t be around at all when they are being cooked is fish and shellfish, as that does send me into anaphylactic shock.

I’m fortunate that my colleagues, friends and family don’t heat up/cook or peel the foods near me….I appreciate it may not be an experience that’s easy to understand if they don’t suffer from allergies. I eat in my office and the students come and sit with me after heating up their lunches.

If/when dating a meat eater, I ask that they freshen their mouths before pashing me, lol!

[girl_dee]

WHen I worked at a bank we ate at our desks many many times. I could not stand the smell of their frozen dinners or leftover whatever and it lingered in our office the rest of the day. I brought a sandwich or salad everyday so no one had to deal with my smelly food not to mention I don't use microwaves. I also encouraged them to take a break in the day and get away from their desks, and enjoy their meal in a healthy way, but somedays we all just wanted to go home, and that extra time was more valuable at the end of the day.

I hated it, but not to the point that I would ask anyone to change their habits.

I did have an issue with working with 3 women 1 man who tried to out do each other in the loudest scent department. I told them they were going to cause a spontaneous chemical combustion explosion if someone did not back off the Jean Nate, and I don't mean the just the women