A Lesson on Perspective

Today was decorate-the-gingerbread-houses-at-school-day. I volunteered to help with this because my girl was just a bit nervous about knowing which ingredients she could/could not have and after I went to the classroom and the mess of icing and candy pieces began to escalate, I was so glad I had gone. My girl was so excited to be elbow deep in bright colored candies and I was glad I could be there to monitor the situation. Thankfully, the decorating went off without a hitch and all the kiddos had a blast. I enjoyed being there with those kids who are all so very different from each other, but wonderful and special in their own ways. (Even though, I might have been dreading the mess!!) When I picked up my girls from school this afternoon, C had her gingerbread house in tow and she was greatly looking forward to getting home and eating some of that house. It seemed she had forgotten all about our little discussion about how it was not something she could eat because of the icing that contains egg whites. So, when I gently reminded her of that, there was a major emotional breakdown. This is really the first time she's ever gotten so upset (outwardly) about her allergies. Mega tears were flowing in the backseat from the sheer disappointment of not being able to eat such a beautiful and visually appealing treat that she worked so hard on. I let her vent her frustration for a second and then asked her, "Does God make mistakes?" Of course, her answer was NO. And then I asked her, "Did he make a mistake by allowing you to have food allergies?" Her answer, at first, was yes and then we talked about how God cannot make a mistake - never has and never will. He allows everything in our lives for a reason....even things we don't think are right for us. Romans 8:28 says, "And we know that ALL THINGS work together for good to them that love God...according to His purpose." Even a 6 year old can begin to understand that God knows what's best for us and always has our best interest at heart. And while the tears were pouring and the sobbing was in full force, I sat there in the driver's seat praying she will one day outgrow these allergies, but also wondering what else I could say to help her put this in perspective. Then, I pulled off my exit and sat at a red light where homeless people are almost always standing begging for money or food and I could see just enough under the bridge to see others taking shelter there. I pointed them out to my children and showed them what they had never noticed before. There are real people all around us who have no food or home. When put in perspective, food allergies seem so much less of a burden. The fact is, the focus doesn't need to be on what we can't have, but what we already have that, quite frankly, we don't deserve. God has blessed us exceeding abundantly above all that we could ask for or imagine {Eph 3:20} and THAT is what we can be thankful for.

Ignorance is NOT Bliss

I came across this article from Time Magazine through this website I read quite frequently and I must admit it made me mad. Obviously, the writer of the article is clueless. She suggests that there is just too much hype over food allergies in the classroom. That is so absurd. If you've never experienced someone having a severe allergic reaction, let me describe it to you. Imagine your child eating a snack and after just one bite she begins choking and coughing. Her eyes are watering, her mouth and body break out into hives. She's scratching her skin to the point of bleeding and can barely catch her breath. Her fingernails turn blue. Now, she's almost out of breath and fear is in her eyes. This all happens within a minute or two. This is what a severe allergic reaction looks like. You have no time to think about how to help her, how to save her life. You just act. Did you know that an EpiPen will help her, but may not last long enough to get her to the hospital before her body reacts again? Do you know how to use her EpiPen?? According to this article, most physicians don't even know how to use an EpiPen! Astonishing! My daughter's EpiPen Jrs came with a test pen - no needle - so that you can practice and know how to use it when the emergency happens. Seriously, how many people will be able to read the instructions fast enough in such a high-pressure situation? You better know how to use the pen before it happens! I have a practice pen in my daughter's tote bag, along with her EpiPens. I have showed her babysitter how to use it and plan to teach my oldest daughter now that she is old enough to know and remember, just in case she's with her sister when/if a reaction occurs. Every second counts once a reaction occurs. I don't think anyone who has experienced a severe reaction could possibly minimize the risks involved in a classroom setting where food is present. It is a life/death kind of situation for my daughter who has a very severe milk allergy, a peanut allergy and an egg allergy. She will be in school in just over a year from now and you better believe I will be checking out her classroom setting and making sure there is an allergy-free policy in place before she goes to school. It should be this way for ALL classrooms and schools. I will not place my child's life in the hands of ignorance. It's my duty as a parent to protect her from such situations and I will do everything in my power to make sure my voice is heard. Food allergies can be life-threatening. Educate yourself and your child's caregivers for your child's sake.