The question isn't who has empathy. Empathy doesn't matter. What matters is what actually reduces incidents of allergic reactions and school wide bans on allergens don't do that. |
I'm guessing you aren't leaving chocolate and grapes in a dog bowl on the ground. Shouldn't your sister be able to control her dog well enough that he isn't eating grapes out of a bowl on the table or eating chocolate out of it's wrapper where it's stored on a shelf or counter? How is her dog getting into your food so easily? Also it's even easier to keep kids away from certain foods in someone else's home or in a public space than a dog -- you just watch the child and tell them not to eat random stuff they find. |
My kids use hand sanitizing wipes to clean their hands before they eat a snack outdoors, but I don't expect them to wipe after they eat because they get their hands dirty in other ways. (If they ate in a messy way, that's another story.) I certainly wouldn't expect them to wash their hands if they ate something out of a wrapper. I won't pretend that I know anything about being an allergy mom, and I'm sorry that this is the hand you were dealt. I do have an autistic child though, and I realize that the world doesn't revolve around him, and I can reasonably expect certain accommodations, but it's on him and me to manage his needs. I think it's similar in your case. It's unreasonable for you to expect people to wash hands after having a snack at an outdoors venue. It's on you to find an alternative if your kid cannot handle a trace amount of an allergen. |
Ok are you buying people wet wipes and hand sanitizer? Are you campaigning to get dispensers for these items installed at public playgrounds and then making sure there is funding and staffing to keep them stocked and functional? Because if not, if your thought is just that people will go out and buy these things, carry them with them everywhere, and not only use them after they eat but clean up their kids after every single snack, even quick ones out of doors, they you are going to be disappointed. This will never happen. Wet wipes are also incredibly bad for the environment. |
A kid with severe allergies should have an EpiPen with them (or the adult that is with them) at all times. Full stop. |
A lunch room with 100 kids in it isn’t an intimate setting |
I hope you never have to experience the anxiety of having a kid with a severe allergy to a common ingredient. Trust me, it sucks. Have some compassion. |
Of course empathy matters. You forgot to mention that the REASON why school bans don’t work is because of lax adherence to the rules. That means that the root of the problem is empathy. Families who don’t give a shit are making the policy fail. We can see those same attitudes right here in this thread. That’s what pp pointed out and she is correct. |
Autism doesn’t run the risk of spontaneous death caused by going to lunch. |
Of course but real life happens and the kid shouldn’t face death because they forgot an epi one time. Also, are you aware that epi pens cost thousands of dollars for multiple doses which is what it would take to ensure constant access to an epi. |
It is sure not considered “public space” either since you need three forms of ID just to enter the school. |
You have no idea why school bans don't work. It's just as likely that people are confused or unaware about what products contain allergens as that they are deliberately not following the rules. A school wide ban could also create a false sense of safety. Allergen free tables, on the other hand, are much easier to enforce and demonstrably more successful. That's the policy you'll support if you actually want to protect kids with allergies. It seems like you'd rather show off how empathetic you are, though. |
If you're worried about spontaneous death at the school cafeteria or playground, you absolutely should not be sending your kid to school. This is not about morals or empathy, as you're trying to make it to be. You cannot expect 100% compliance from 100% of the people 100% of the time. That is actually insane. Is it fair to you or your kid? No, but unfortunately life is not fair. |
Oh I see that I am speaking with one of the “empathy is evil” nutters. There is no reaching people like you. Please explain what is so confusing about “no nuts”? |
OR you could just not pack peanuts for lunch and then my child could be a part of society. You prefer to treat people like lepers as a “solution”. Seems like you just don’t want to be bothered. |