May contain Peanuts

I woke up this morning and read the latest blog post by Baby Sideburns. On Facebook she explains that it was a post she wrote for a contest to write a letter to someone in one hour. She admits its not her best work since it usually takes her hours to write a good post. She's right, this is not one of her best blog-posts, and certainly not one of the best pieces written about kids with allergies, but i appreciate it all the same. I especially love the conversations in the comments.

As you all know, Logan has severe allergies to many things. Just yesterday I took him for pizza. Checked the ingredients, and waited to be served. While waiting, the boys found the "impulse buy" cookies and wanted one. I asked if there were nuts in them. The cashier asked the cook, who shrugged and said no. I gave the cookie to them. As the started on their first bite I caught a glimpse of the cashier now asking the owner who got nervous and pulled out the box of frozen cookie dough to read the ingredients. I immediately stood up in panic. They said No Peanuts but have NO IDEA if there really was. Fortunately the owner knew that this was serious and was checking. I jumped up and asked in horror, "You said NO, is there peanuts, you said NO". I have awful vision and couldn’t make out the tiny print for everything else on the box, but I could clearly read that word on the box, PEANUTS. It took a second before I saw, "MAY contain PEANUTS". I didn't say a word, just ran back to the boys to take away the cookie. Do you know what happens when you take a cookie away from a 2 year old that already took a bite? Let the crying begin! Logan was awesome. He knows that "peanuts make me sick" and was happy to trade his cookie for a bag of nut-free chips, but Hayden wasn't as easily persuaded. There was a wonderful woman who immediately noticed my situation (exposure to nuts, and three kids crying). She came over and expressed her understanding and concern over the possible peanut exposure. She took the cookie straight from their hands, helped me clean the kids and the table, and helped calm the situation, while others were merely angry that their quiet lunch was disrupted. The owner came over getting us water (as if water was going to miraculously wash away a reaction – though I appreciated his effort to help). He apologized and said “I didn’t get it right away, but I see now that I need to take off my pizza owner hat, and put on my dad hat and help you”. Once the boys were settled with pizza, we enjoyed a happy and quiet lunch. I so appreciate the help from these two people to get the boys safe and happy.

I am so relieved that in the end, the May contain Peanuts was just a warning and did not cause a reaction. At the end of the lunch I went to the counter to pay for the two bags of chips I crabbed during the height of the breakdowns. The owner declined payment saying it was on the house on account of the cookies. My final word to him was, “at least now you know for the next person that asks. But please, please, don’t take it lightly when someone asks about an allergen. Please tell that to all of your staff.” He whole-heartedly agreed and we left.

To the people who are against nut-free schools, please understand the panic we experience everyday sending out kids out anywhere. To the playground, is that family having PB&J at their picnic and playing on the same equipment; to a restaurant, did someone wash the table after the last family had Mustard (another severe allergy of Logan’s) and French fries; to a shopping cart, was the last kid in this cart drinking lemonade (lemons are another one of his allergies)? We worry everywhere, but at school its worse because my 4 year old is on his own. He doesn’t have me to look out for him. He’s learning, but he still doesn’t know. Please help keep him safe and alive. Asking for a nut-free school is such a small way to help such a big problem. 

***Oh, and Baby Sideburns, this post only took me 20 minutes :) ***