Picking the Child With the Peanut Allergy

Everyone wants to be included. Think about the days of gym class and they were picking teams. Most likely you stood there, quietly praying... "Pick me...Pick me". You didn't want to be picked last, because those who were, were usually those no one wanted.

Please think about the child with the peanut allergy and how they must feel. When they are left out from certain activities and events, it makes them feel unwanted. They have to watch all their friends having fun and eating those yummy treats, but they can't have any. They are excluded for something they have no control over.

Here are some easy ways to help include a child with a peanut allergy:

Contact the teacher or parent and get a list of safe snacks that you can send into the classroom. Make sure you only send in items that have a label. Don't send in any items from a bakery or that you may have baked yourself. When the ingredients or cross-contamination is unknown, the child will not be able to eat it.

Teach your child about peanut allergies and how they can help keep their classmate safe. This includes properly washing hands, and making sure they don't eat peanut products when they are going to be around them. Encourage them to watch out for their classmate and help protect them from accidental exposure.

Consider reaching out to the child's parent too, I'm sure they could use some positive encouragement and support. Not only do parents have to deal with the fear of their child having a life-threatening reaction, they have to deal with negativity and doubt from others.

You'd be surprised at the nasty things people say to parents and even the children who have peanut allergies. Some people get so upset because they can't send baked items into the classroom or pack peanut butter sandwiches for school. Some don't understand, (and some don't even seem to care) that the smallest exposure of a peanut can be life-threatening to the child.

Making a Difference:

I've always loved The Starfish Story by Loren Eisley. It's about a man walking down the beach who sees a young boy throwing starfish back into the ocean. He stops to ask the boy what he's doing. The boy tells him that the tide washed all the starfish onto the beach, and if they remain there, they're going to die. The man says, "There's miles of them along this beach, how are you even going to make a difference?" The boy picks one up, and tosses it into the water. Then he says, "I made a difference to THAT one."

You have the ability to make a difference in the life of that child, and in the life of their parent. Making small changes or taking the time to say an encouraging word can mean so much. You can't change the world, but you can make a difference in one life. And if everyone just made a difference in one person's life, how could that not change the world?

Pick them!