I am lucky to have two healthy kids that do not have any food allergies. But, every year, I feel like I'm more and more in the minority. And as they start their school year with excitement and anticipation, and probably a few shaky nerves, I can't help but think about the kids whose nerves aren't as shaky about meeting new friends, but more about what those friends ate for breakfast before they came to school.
I know there are a lot of moms out there that feel like it's not our responsibility. It's annoying to have to come up with something other than peanut butter and jelly for lunch and Uncrustables are so easy to get out of the freezer and pop into a lunch bag. But when my daughter told me this morning that her classroom was ok to have peanuts in and that there is a separate nut free lunch table in the cafeteria, I thought to myself, "Why is it that hard to not send nuts to school?" I feel like it's the least I can do since I don't have to sit home for the day wondering if my kids are going to need an epi-pen and a trip to the ER.
As moms, we are usually willing to support each other, to encourage when the sleepless nights have us at our wits end, to reassure when nursing is not working, or when potty-training seems like a never-ending road of expensive pull-ups and melt-downs. But when our kids are getting on the school bus and heading to an independent day of language arts and monkey bars, we seem to let a some of that support go by the wayside.
I recently made a cake for a party that my family was also invited to. I don't bake any of my cakes with nut products and when one dad's son asked if he could have a piece of cake, the dad looked at me and asked if there were nuts in the cake. I quickly replied that it was all baked from scratch with no nuts. And he repeated the question, as if to give me the chance to rethink if there was any chance of the cake being a danger to his child. This question made me realize even more that 1-I'm lucky to not have food allergies in my family and 2-the struggle that parents of kids that do, has got to be exhausting. They have to protect their kids from something that is so common and completely harmless to other kids.
And let's be honest, it's not like nuts increase the IQ of our children. Nuts don't improve reading comprehension and they certainly don't guarantee good behavior, I mean their called "nuts" for crying out loud and some say you are what you eat! Ha!!
So, why not help out a parent who is really not even asking for help? Send cheese and crackers, or yogurt, noodles and dressing (not with nuts in it), cream cheese and jelly sandwiches, geez, I think I could start a blog just for recipes that are nut free! And if you think you don't have time to think about it, then have your kids start participating in packing lunches. And if you still think it's impossible, read this,
http://lgoogoogaga.wordpress.com/2013/08/21/pottery-barn-lunches/
This mom has been packing her own lunch since she was two! :)
As parents, we teach our kids to be kind and considerate and accepting and supportive of their classmates and to accept differences with no judgment, but from time to time we are quick to complain and not demonstrate the same behavior.
And while I'm certainly not a perfect mom, not even in the locker room of that ballpark, I do like to look for ways to help people out. This is an easy one. Slam dunk.
Here is the cake I mentioned earlier! There's a tealight under the campfire so it really flickered. Now, if I can make a cake this cute without nuts, imagine what you can do with a school lunch that is nut-free!
