Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Take Care and Be Aware

We're delighted to have Jody - wife, Mom of two and writer of How One Practical Woman Sees It... - as our guest blogger this week. Here, she shares her thoughts, feelings and perspective on sending her nut-allergic son to school for the first time.

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It's back to school time and so off I send my 4-year-old son to his preschool class three times a week. I read all the school handouts we are given, and attend the information night and I hope everyone else was listening as closely as I did.

Did you hear the teachers?

Did you see what the rules/regulations handout said?

There are kids in the classroom with allergies. Take note: there are no nuts allowed, there will be no sharing of food, and the school can not hand out food to the class brought by parents (i.e. birthday cupcakes).

Really it's not that big of a deal; it's only for a few hours. Your kids can eat nuts in the car or at home. Your kids can eat the snacks you provided them and you don't have to worry they only ate gummy bears from their classmate's lunch box. You can bring pencils or bubbles as a birthday treat. Or if you really want you can make cupcakes, individually wrap them, tag on an ingredient list, and hand them out at the end of school so each parent can make their own decision.

As I send my child off to school it's my hope that you all listened and took it to heart. It is HIS allergy but he's only 4 so he still needs adult assistance to make sure he doesn't come in contact with the items he's allergic to. Please listen and abide by the rules; it will help watch out for him until he old enough to assume responsibility for his own allergies.

Jody labels her son's backpack and other
items to help remind teachers and caregivers
of his allergies
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Many thanks to Jody for sharing her experience. Have a question? Leave a comment!

Have a story you want to share? Email us at social (at) oliverslabels (dot) com, with "Guest Post" in the subject line.

Connect with Jody on...
Her blog
Twitter

2 comments:

Katie M. Biittner said...

I think this is such an easy and simple way to support kids with allergies. I agree that you can educate your kids and that using these clear, bright labels will help inform all those other people who encounter your child why it is important to follow rules/regulations. The rules/regulations are not meant to make life difficult, they are there allow all kids to have a safe learning environment.

Anonymous said...

Good idea about the birthday treats. The kids still get 2 celebrate but it doesn't put anyone in danger.