Our eldest son is in grade 3. He has attended school with pretty much the same group of kids for four years. This is why a letter sent home to parents was so upsetting to me.
This letter was sent home to remind us about a boy in our son’s class who is severely allergic to nuts. If he ingests even a small amount he could have a life threatening reaction. This is not new to us and we have not sent anything nutty to school with our son out of respect for this family. Apparently not all parents/children feel this way, therefore, the need for another letter.
I’m not sure why the school hasn’t taken the proactive approach to this problem and become peanut free. Easy peasy. Currently, if someone brings a peanut butter sandwich they are asked to have lunch in a separate room. Super. Because all this means is that unless this kid is extra careful while eating or washes extremely well after lunch (highly unlikely – I have seen my son wash when he thinks no one is watching), they could go back into the main classroom with peanut butter on their hands. They touch a computer keyboard and get a smudge of peanut butter on the “F” and leave the poor allergic boy vulnerable to a reaction.
We discussed the letter with our son and he said, “Does this mean the other parents don’t care about him?” What do I say to that. “I guess not?” I get picky eaters. Our son is a picky eater. He would love to take a good ‘ole peanut butter sandwich over whatever concoction my husband dreams up. We don’t give in and I believe that is the way it should be. What if the shoe was on the other foot? I just don’t get why these parents don’t get the seriousness of this issue. Are some just clueless? Or just that self involved? The belief that it doesn’t matter because it’s not their child?
When I was in school there was no such thing as a peanut or nut allergy. It just wasn’t an issue. Now it is. Take notice, parents. You may not be affected by it now but your grandkids might. Think about it.
