A family of MnM's...

My boss sent me an article to read about this woman with food allergies and how hard it can be to eat out. So I read the whole thing obviously because I relate, by having a child that we call "Bubble Boy". Well after reading the entire article I noticed that there were comments at the bottom, so I started reading those. One woman left a comment that made a lot of people angry....including me. Read below (then I will state my feelings)

AMANDA:
My daughter entered kindergarten this year and the school has repeatedly sent home "requests" to not send any nut containing foods to school because of the children with allergies. So what, my daughter is supposed to suffer? She's a great eater and will try anything you put in front of her but when it comes to sandwiches she is addicted to pb&j. So why deprive her because someone else's kid has a problem. That's encroaching our civil liberties. Luckily, after speaking with the local school board I found out that they cannot prevent anyone from bringing pb&j to school so of course we pack it everyday. If your child has an allergy - YOU DEAL WITH IT. Don't expect my child to change her habits because your child has a problem.








TOM:
Amanda, I hope your daughter grows up to be less self-centered and selfish than you.

My guess is that if this was your precious child, you'd expect the entire world to turn upside down. Actually I know it since you've already defined her "right" to eat peanut butter as a civil liberty. Unbelievable.

Oh well, thank goodness your daughter can get pb&j. If someone else dies, well that's just life.








ROB:
Wow great attitiude Amanda ,no wonder people don't get along anymore , that the value of peanut butter is far greater than human life








CRISTINA:
As a response to those ignorant people who are not faced with any allergic repurcussions in their lives, will never get it until they go through it either with their children or develop something on their own as their immune system changes every so often. It is ridiculous for me to understand how people choose to think that those "allergic" individuals becomes a hassle for those that are not allergic. Children in particular that are in school with a peanut allergy as an example could face death if unaware they even have this allergy. Schools should really be considered "peanut-free". Who cares about a pb&j sandwhich anyway, it's overrated! I have no tolerance for those of you who are IGNORANT to NOT understand the repercussions involved if a child in particular should come into contact with milk, peanut, shellfish, etc. I encourage all parents to undergo allergy testing to be more cautious







JESSICA:
Amanda, My son does not have any allergies however attends a school that is peanut free...you need to understand there are alternatives to PB, like soy butter, takes exactly the same and the kids love it just as much as the real thing...they can not make you stop making your daughter pb&j but you need to be mature about the issue and realize that not only is this a food allergy it is one of the very few airborne ones that can have the same effect as the child eating it, just by your daughter eating and possibly playing with a child with an allergy you have put them at risk...you should respect the "requests" your daughters school is making.







LISA:

Amanda,

So you would rather have another child end up in the hospital or die, rather than deprive your little girl of a sandwich? That's teaching her how to get along with others.


there were many more...but I will stop there....

Okay as you can see that amanda woman pissed quite a few people off. Now, I can definitely understand her frustration. It is very hard for people to understand something they don't know. Until we came across all of Matthew's issues we didn't understand either. I do however think it is very sad of the woman to be so inconsiderate, we are talking about small children here, not teenagers or adults. She stated that it is their problem not hers or her daughters, but what if it was her daughter that was eating a pb&j sandwich and had peanut butter on her hands then touched a child that is allergic and that child stops being able to breathe. Then who's problem is it? My child is "trained" he can recite the list of things he is allergic to just as well as I can, and I have worked really hard at making sure of it. I can protect him when he is with me, but obviously I can not be with him at school all day. It scares me to think of all the things that could go wrong. Matthew's allergies have seemed to get worse the more he is exposed, and we find new things all the time that he is allergic to. I have to send his nap time blankets in a huge Ziploc bag because he is highly allergic to Gain laundry detergent and I wouldn't be able to know if someone else washes their kids blankets in that. I guess I am just rambling, but my point is that the woman who is choosing to bitch about not being able to send her child to school with a pb & j (even though her sorry self does it anyway) should be grateful that she is lucky enough to have a healthy child that can consume anything she chooses. Matthew loved peanut butter as a baby (before I realized that he was allergic, scary I know...cause I gave him pb crackers all of the time) and now he will never know the joy of eating a Reese's pb cup. It is very hard to accommodate so many allergies and stressful at times. What do you feed a child for breakfast when they are allergic to Milk, Eggs, Soy, Wheat? Poor thing eats a lot of bacon or dry cereal. I also think it is sad for Matthew to have to question most of the foods he is about to eat. "Mom am I allergic to mayonnaise?" "Yes, Matthew but not miracle whip." "Mom, does this candy have peanuts in it?" Okay I guess you get the point...