Furious. Why in the world would a parent send a peanut snack to a peanut-free classroom?

[Anonymous]

I've never heard of anyone talk about their kids' allergies that weren't "very severe." It's like there's no other kind. Their kids are always "very severe" and airborne is always a concern.

Statistically, it's impossible.

[Anonymous]

I was that mom once. It was a rough morning and I grabbed the wrong box of granola bars before I'd had my morning coffee. I got a stern e-mail from the school and my kid had to starve (he's a picky eater and a granola bar is a significant portion of his lunch). But the allergy kid didn't die, so that's good. I felt legitimately bad about the whole thing. I wasn't trying to kill anyone.

[Anonymous]

Op, how did you find this out?

[Anonymous]

Well, without knowing more about the families involved who can say? Could be carelessness or selfishness. Could be that they can't read or speak English, that there are problems in the home that distract from the issue of the appropriate snack to bring.

[Anonymous]

Did the parent try to force-feed the peanut snack to your allergic child? Argue with your child that their allergy couldn't possibly be that bad, and that it would be rude not to have just a small taste? If not, save your fury for the person who consciously disregards your child's safety, and give this parent the benefit of the doubt that they just had a brain cramp and forgot.

[Anonymous]

Just stop buying peanut products and you won't have this issue. Peanuts are terrible anyways.

[Anonymous]

I just assume that regardless of school rules, a parent whose kids don't have food allergies is not going to have the same level of vigilance or awareness that I do and thinks as long as they're not sending in PBJs, it's fine.

I can't tell you the number of people who upon learning of my son's milk allergy have said things like "So he has to drink Lactaid?" or "But he can have yogurt, right?" If it doesn't concern you or your child, you're probably not going to devote a lot of time to educating yourself. I don't have diabetic children, so I know nothing about what they can or can not eat, how to monitor blood sugar, etc.

I know I can't control my child's environment. The best I can do is make sure everyone who cares for my child knows the signs of an allergic reaction and knows it's better to overtreat than undertreat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've never heard of anyone talk about their kids' allergies that weren't "very severe." It's like there's no other kind. Their kids are always "very severe" and airborne is always a concern.

Statistically, it's impossible.

My child will throw up like a fountain 5 seconds after he ingests a peanut morsel. That's called a mild to moderate peanut allergy. No epi-pen.

What some PPs are missing is that some of these children are NOT RELIABLE when it comes to putting food in their mouths. My 9 year old son has ADD, and while he is usually careful, there is a non-negligible chance that one day he will accept something with peanuts and throw up. It has happened before. Imagine if he had a lethal reaction! I can totally understand a parent's anxiety in that situation, and if OP's child is in that category I sympathize with her frustration.

Allergies are terrible things - we should focus on energies on research into its causes and treatments, instead of blaming the victim or downplaying parents' fears.

[Anonymous]

I still have questions for OP:
What grade?
Was this a personal snack or a snack for the class?

[Anonymous]

How old were the kids? I'd be a lot more concerned about very young children.

Was this a snack for the whole class or just something in the kid's lunch? Again, the former is a lot more egregious. The latter, I would assume oversight, mistake, a different caregiver packing lunch, the kid adding something to his lunch on his own, etc.

[Anonymous]

WONT SOMEONE THINK OF THE CHILDREN!!?!?!??!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Some have a very hard time, especially with airborne allergies. I hope your post was just one of ignorance and not meant to be obnoxious.

Anonymous wrote:I always wonder how these kids will function in the real world if they can't be in the same room as a peanut? In restaurants, food courts, friend's houses?

Not pp you are quoting, but also wonder about this. Our DS has a friend with severe allergies in his preschool (epi pen in class, but free room). And I wonder how/if I could ever hits him for a play date. It would be beneficial to hear the family's side of these practical issues.

With difficulty.

My husband has had severe anaphylactic reactions to peanuts and tree nuts since birth. He's now 45.

He takes many, many precautions. He lives in the "real world," though.

I assume you're speaking out of ignorance, though, and not a desire to downplay the seriousness of the problem.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I've never heard of anyone talk about their kids' allergies that weren't "very severe." It's like there's no other kind. Their kids are always "very severe" and airborne is always a concern.

Statistically, it's impossible.

Not with peanut allergies.

Google it. And stop talking out of your ass.

[Anonymous]

Wow. I'm shocked at how insensitive so many of the comments are. Are there really parents out there that don't understand how severely allergic some children can be? It doesn't just include food that they themselves eat? I think there might be a little more outrage if people commenting had lived a day where their kids were the ones in danger. Luckily my kids aren't allergic to any foods, but man! Stop being so quick to be an asshole.

[Anonymous]

My husband has done this. Didn't know the snack had peanuts or that the class was peanut free. Allergic kid saw it and moved to a different table.