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I agree that education/knowledge/talking is the best way to go about it. At the end of the article posted, the kid claimed that they didn't know the seriousness of the allergy....well, should a kid get to 19 without understanding that?
My 13 year old son has a friend with a peanut allergy, not the contact/exposure type, he has to swallow the peanut, he is not an extremely serious case. And yes, there are jokes about it amongst the friends, they tease him, I've seen them throw peanuts at him and offer him peanuts - but he's a pretty carefree kid and will joke back with them, he's not afraid of his peanut allergy. While his closest friends do act like this, they are also protective of him and know what to do if he were to come across peanuts. What I do notice among the kids over the years is that there really is a sense of disbelief that something he ate could be so dangerous, they're curious about it and ask questions because it doesn't make all that much sense....they eat anything and everything all day without a problem so when the peanut thing came up they were just sort of like 'what?'. They've been educated on it, they still make jokes about it, but they know that they absolutely can not slip him peanuts.
Other kids at school know aswell, just from talk, but the school has not done the whole education thing. I do know of one incident when a kid, not a friend, waved a peanut butter sandwich in his face with the intention of bullying and the sandwich ended up on the ground (the actions of one of the friends of the one with the peanut allergy) and the kid stood there wondering what he was going to eat for lunch now...which seems like a natural consequence to me I wonder if some education on food allergies would have made that kid understand he was crossing a line (this kid didn't have a clue as to what degree the boy was allergic) and therefore gotten to eat his sandwich (I asked my son if the kid had maybe seen them making light of the situation too but he said they don't really play the peanut throwing/food waving game at school - "because the girls think it's immature" lol).
I never realized how widespread the allergy stuff is today and how much effort the school district puts into it. My son is a bit of a picky eater and one of the few staple lunch foods he will eat (seriously picky BTW...the kid takes Special K and a thermos of milk to school or mac and cheese or meatballs in a hot food thermos) that isn't difficult is peanut butter sandwiches.
Well lo and behold one of his friends that he eats with is allergic to peanuts. So, the first day he brought a peanut butter sandwich he came home very upset that he couldn't eat with his friend, since he was allergic to peanuts. So, the one normal thing my kid packs for lunch is now off the menu or he can't eat with his friend.
I'm not complaining per se and I understand how serious it can be, but it's still frustrating. I don't ever remember "allergies" being common when I was a kid outside of bee stings and runny noses.
I never realized how widespread the allergy stuff is today and how much effort the school district puts into it. My son is a bit of a picky eater and one of the few staple lunch foods he will eat (seriously picky BTW...the kid takes Special K and a thermos of milk to school or mac and cheese or meatballs in a hot food thermos) that isn't difficult is peanut butter sandwiches.
Well lo and behold one of his friends that he eats with is allergic to peanuts. So, the first day he brought a peanut butter sandwich he came home very upset that he couldn't eat with his friend, since he was allergic to peanuts. So, the one normal thing my kid packs for lunch is now off the menu or he can't eat with his friend.
I'm not complaining per se and I understand how serious it can be, but it's still frustrating. I don't ever remember "allergies" being common when I was a kid outside of bee stings and runny noses.
It is crazy how much more common allergies are today. Have you tried almond butter or sun butter as alternatives to peanut butter?
It is crazy how much more common allergies are today. Have you tried almond butter or sun butter as alternatives to peanut butter?
I may give it a shot, but I'm not sure the school would take the risk on anything that looks like peanut butter getting near the kid. Like I said my son is VERY picky and likes what he likes, I'm not sure we could slip that past him, he won't even eat generic peanut butter, it has to be Jiff.
While the original story posted is horrible, there is a family with a son in my child's 3rd grade class that has been very pushy b/c of their child's allergy.
The kid is allergic to laytex. If he touches something made from it, he will get a rash. His parents tried to ban the children in his class from wearing raincoats this year. Their fear was that if the child accidentally touched a raincoat that contained laytex, he could have an allergic reaction.
Now, we live in a NE climate that is very gray and rainy so kids wear raincoats quite often. They would be wet all day if they arrived at school after walking in the rain w/o waterproof jackets and it would be impossible to have outdoor recess on days with rain showers.
So the school offered to have a special coat hook for him (all the kids hang their coats on hooks in the classroom) that would be set aside from the other hooks. His parents said this wasn't acceptable. They threatened to sue the school under the Americans with Disabilities Act unless a better solution was found.
Finally, the teacher came up with the idea of having the kids put their raincoats in their backpacks when they entered the classrooms and the parents agreed this would be an acceptable compromise. Of course, now when my kid wears her raincoat her entire backpack gets damp as does her homework papers when she packs them up at the end of the day.
Additionally, the parents insisted that a sign be placed on the front door of the elementary school. It says: "This is a laytex-free zone. No laytex toys, gloves, balloons or other products allowed."
Geez, it's not as if the kid would have an allergic reaction to looking at a balloon. He has to touch the object. Even then, it's not like the reaction would be life-threatening. Can't his parents teach him to stay away from anything plastic or rubber that might contain laytex ?
Geez, it's not as if the kid would have an allergic reaction to looking at a balloon. He has to touch the object. Even then, it's not like the reaction would be life-threatening. Can't his parents teach him to stay away from anything plastic or rubber that might contain laytex ?
An alergic reaction can turn life-threatening at any point with future exposures.
I can understand what you're saying about some parents going overboard.
Parents who aren't reasonable bring a lot of negative attention to their children, even from other children.
Even kindergarteners know the reason all of their papers are wet in their backpacks on their own.
They don't need to hear adults complain about unreasonable parents to form their own opinions about the accomodation.
While the original story posted is horrible, there is a family with a son in my child's 3rd grade class that has been very pushy b/c of their child's allergy.
The kid is allergic to laytex. If he touches something made from it, he will get a rash. His parents tried to ban the children in his class from wearing raincoats this year. Their fear was that if the child accidentally touched a raincoat that contained laytex, he could have an allergic reaction.
Now, we live in a NE climate that is very gray and rainy so kids wear raincoats quite often. They would be wet all day if they arrived at school after walking in the rain w/o waterproof jackets and it would be impossible to have outdoor recess on days with rain showers.
So the school offered to have a special coat hook for him (all the kids hang their coats on hooks in the classroom) that would be set aside from the other hooks. His parents said this wasn't acceptable. They threatened to sue the school under the Americans with Disabilities Act unless a better solution was found.
Finally, the teacher came up with the idea of having the kids put their raincoats in their backpacks when they entered the classrooms and the parents agreed this would be an acceptable compromise. Of course, now when my kid wears her raincoat her entire backpack gets damp as does her homework papers when she packs them up at the end of the day.
Additionally, the parents insisted that a sign be placed on the front door of the elementary school. It says: "This is a laytex-free zone. No laytex toys, gloves, balloons or other products allowed."
Geez, it's not as if the kid would have an allergic reaction to looking at a balloon. He has to touch the object. Even then, it's not like the reaction would be life-threatening. Can't his parents teach him to stay away from anything plastic or rubber that might contain laytex ?
I think that without having all the facts, it is easy to assume a parent is going overboard.
Just for the record, I don't have a child with a latex allergy, so I don't have all the facts myself, but this is something I just picked up quickly on the internet:
************************************************** *****
In’s and Out’s of Latex Allergies
Latex allergens can get into your immune system several ways:
Inhaling allergens: Cornstarch powder used inside latex gloves carries traces of latex allergen with it into the air (and into your lungs). Latex allergens can get airborne in lesser quantities from any product made with latex, especially latex balloons.
Absorbing allergens externally: If you have a cut, sore or irritated area on your hands (or other body part) and touch a latex product, the allergens have an open door to your immune system.
Absorbing allergens internally: Your tissues can absorb latex allergens when a doctor or dentist does an internal examination wearing latex gloves, when a latex injection port is inserted for use with intravenous medications or even when you get a shot – stoppers on medication vials can contain latex.
Where in the World Is Latex?
Some of the places you might find latex include
Stethoscopes and intravenous drug ports
Rubber bands and erasers
Scuba suits
Handgrips on bicycles and tennis racquets
Balloons
Pacifiers and baby bottle nipples
Fasteners on disposable diapers
Some carpet backings and pillows
Raincoats and boots
Gloves for household dishwashing
No two people with latex allergy are alike. A run-in with a latex balloon may give one person itchy hands but cause another to stop breathing. Local allergic reactions don’t always signal the onset of systemic allergic reactions; a person could have a local allergic reaction every time he comes into contact with latex. On the other hand, a person who develops latex allergy could go straight to a systemic allergic reaction and possibly anaphylactic shock.
Although latex allergy often lasts a lifetime, a person’s level of reaction to latex may change. According to Gerri Rivers, at the height of her latex allergy simply entering a restaurant where someone had a latex balloon earlier in the day sent her to the emergency room. But after years of strict latex avoidance, Gerri can feel an allergic reaction creeping up and can remove herself from dangerous situations before anaphylaxis symptoms kick in.
On the latex allergy thing, it can be far more serious than you know. At my office we have a co-worker who has a latex allergy. One day someone brought balloons in for a persons birthday party. Within 10 minutes this person (who was on a different floor of the building) was having a reaction that cause their face and throat to swell. They were able to get outside before it turned worse. The problem with latex allergies is that the reaction is from contact. The problem there is that many latex products such as balloons and gloves contain powder to act as a lubricant. This powder gets airborne and can affect someone even if they are nowhere near the latex. We now have signs banning all latex products from the office.
I can't help but think what will happen if allergies get more severe and common as they seem to be. The issue comes down to when do accomodations for people with allergies supercede the rights of those without the allergies to engage in normal behavior? Is the future going to be segregated hypo-allergenic class rooms and facilities?
Bullying is NEVER. EVER. right. No matter what the reason.
Conversely, allowing yourself to be the victim is NEVER EVER right, no matter the reason.
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I wonder if some education on food allergies would have made that kid understand he was crossing a line (this kid didn't have a clue as to what degree the boy was allergic) and therefore gotten to eat his sandwich (I asked my son if the kid had maybe seen them making light of the situation too but he said they don't really play the peanut throwing/food waving game at school - "because the girls think it's immature" lol).
