Allergies

Today I have a serious latte - be aware and considerate of children with food allergies. As the mother of a child with a peanut allergy, I find it very frustrating when another parent acts inconvienienced by my child's allergy. My 5 year old is allergic to peanuts. I have know this since she was 1. She's never had any serious problems, but I usually carry an Epi-pen for her just in case. Now that she's in kindergarten, she is no longer in the protected, peanut-free preschool environment.

Food allergies are very real, and very scary. We went to the allergist yesterday for a check-up, the last time Charlotte was tested, she was 1. I was shocked at how quickly and severly she responded to the peanut test. It was a good reality check for me, and I now have extra Epi-pens so that I'll never be without one if needed.

Like many people my age, I didn't know kids with severe food allergies when I was growing up. I know that there are alot of theories about why allergies have become so prevalent now. For whatever reason, they are out there. If Charlotte touches peanuts, she gets a rash. This will be an issue for her entire life. For now, the best I can do is ask the parents in her class to please not send any peanut product for snack at school, and I hope that no one is too put out by my request. The good news - there are no peanuts in lattes or in the side of whip cream that Charlotte occasionally gets as a Starbucks treat.