Sounds very dramatic, I know. But the stark reality is peanuts can kill those who have an allergy.My son, Mini-Me, has a nut allergy, along with asthma and other allergies. Mini-He is a well adjust kid and understands the dangers around him. He is smart and will always err on the side of caution, even if I have deemed something okay to eat.
Generally speaking we are very cool with the whole thing. We don't expect people who don't live with a severe allergy on a daily basis to be thinking about how their food choices affect Mini-He. That would not be fair. It's difficult to understand, I get that, but if I explain it someone shouldn't they get it at that point? What part of death don't they understand? I digress.
Kids Health is a great website that provides very well delivered information about the severity of peanut allergies. It is actually a resource site that offers many topics for parents and kids to enjoy. I have often tried to educate people to empower them to take ownership of their role in providing Mini-He a safe environment.
One of the most difficult aspects of dealing with the ignorance surrounding severe nut allergies is that people don't realize it isn't about the quantity. Any peanut residue is as deadly as a spoonful. That is a hard concept for others to grasp. Wikipedia provides a concise and clear explanation of what is happening in the body when peanuts are introduced. The next thing that is difficult and it goes hand in hand with the first point. There is a perception that if Mini-He doesn't eat the offending foods then he will be fine. So why does everyone else have to "suffer"? It is about transfer. We are all familiar with the CSI coined phrase secondary transfer; it is only used in every other episode of the 52 versions of CSI being aired on our TVs. But, yes, transfer; especially when children are eating. Kids get food everywhere when they eat. They wipe their grubby little paws on everything. Basically they handle foods with peanuts, touch 20 different surfaces, then eventually along comes Mini-He and he makes contact with the residue transfer. Mini-He then touches his own food and places it in his mouth and is enough to potentially kill him.
I am certainly not trying to blame anyone and it is always on Mini-He and us to ensure he is safe. I just wish people would try to be a little more understanding is all. Don't get me wrong, we have plenty of people in our lives that fully understand and look out for dangers. It only happens once in a blue moon that we encounter someone who is blatantly ignorant. It seems they are insulted by the idea of having to refrain from eating something. The attitude of "I'm NOT the one with the nut allergy!" is what confuses me. It is like the last half of the explanation, you know the part about the allergic person DYING never registers in their brain.
I encourage anyone who reads this post to take the time to educate yourself about Peanut/nut allergies. Below are a couple more links. Even if you don't deal with a peanut situation at the moment, being educated may help you, help someone else.
Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America
My Two Cents
Jamie
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