Parenting: Food allergies are not a joke when you see the letter we received.

[RandySF]

Today when I picked up my son form kindergarten, he gave me a letter from the teacher informing us that a child has a SEVERE allergy to certain food items that could potentially trigger a deadly reaction. You hear the jokes. Once I rolled my eyes when I saw a parent on the news ask why a child isn't just put into homeschool so her own little joy can enjoy his peanut butter. But when I read the letter today it really hit me: It's no joke and no child should have to leave school because of what is essentially a disability. So we will do our part and be careful so that everyone can be safe and happy in school.

[yellerpup]

1. And we should also encourage research into

why so many more children are allergic to peanuts now than they were 50 years ago.

[KT2000]

2. Thank you

a little kindness as you have expressed is all that is needed for this child to be a participant in life. It is so sad that there are so many who resent doing even that.

[Warpy]

3. Not so fast.

The original study came out a year ago and is linked here: http://www.thefastertimes.com/clinicalupdate/2010/05/14/maybe-were-not-allergic-to-everything-after-all/ Even allergy testing can misdiagnose allergies. Only testing plus a history of anaphylaxis after eating a certain food can diagnose a truly life threatening food allergy.

I knew kids who were allergic to things when I was in grade school. The kids simply avoided eating these foods and were fine.

Now we have histrionic parents claiming that their kids will die if someone in the same room is eating a peanut butter sandwich. Clearly these parents are insane, but on the off chance one has been proven right, perhaps the wisest course would be to hold the child out of school while desensitization is pursued. That child won't be able to control everything in the big wild world when he grows up, so he'd better get treatment now rather than bullying a whole school full of children and their parents and then dying in college when he walks into a pub that has beer nuts on the bar.

Food allergies are serious business and some can be life threatening. However, they're being oversold and overhyped. Any allergy that is serious enough that just being in the same room with a food triggers a life threatening reaction requires treatment. The rest can simply avoid the triggering foods and be fine.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

4. The helicopter parent syndrome clearly does not help

Much of the hyperbole over allergies clearly does not help either.

[Warpy]

5. No, and it hurts kids who really are allergic

because denial that such allergies exist is also building.

The kids who are "allergic" to the peanut butter sandwich on the other side of the lunch room are likely having anxiety attacks brought on by such histrionic parenting.

[mopinko]

7. i'd want to know how this was determined before i got bent

Peanut Allergies Overstated, Study Finds
ScienceDaily (May 16, 2007) — Despite hundreds of families being told their children have peanut allergies every year, many of the children may be able to eat peanuts safely, a study by researchers at UNSW and the Sydney Children’s Hospital has found.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/05/070516091853.htm

this is old news.

[Warpy]

8. It is, but it's a button pusher since it involves kids

so the stories need to be reposted from time to time so people don't get too overwrought by heart string tugging letters.

Any parent who shrieks her kid will die if somebody across the room is eating a peanut butter sandwich really does need to get that kid desensitized. Or learn to tell the difference between an anxiety attack and anaphylactic shock.

[Reader Rabbit]

6. Every year I have at least one student with peanut allergies.

It terrifies me that some innocent snack-sharing could result in a potentially lethal allergic reaction. So far, the kids with the allergies are very self-aware and are good at advocating for themselves, as well.