Why can’t I go? We hear that a lot. You see, having a food allergy not only limits the foods you can eat, it also limits where you can go or visit. There are some foods that can be dangerous for an allergic person just to be around. Take for instance, peanuts. Smelling too much peanut dust in one pop can certainly send an allergic person into a reaction.
My husband and I like to eat at Texas Roadhouse. However, this particular restaurant serves peanuts on the table and you are allowed to throw your peanut hulls all over the floor. Now, this is NOT the ideal place to take someone who has a peanut allergy. Therefore, when she asks “Why can’t I go?”, the answer is always, “Because you are allergic.”
And it doesn’t stop with just restaurants. That list can get expanded to football games (She loves football), the circus, concerts, birthday party’s…..any function where peanuts might be involved is a no no.
When she’s invited to a birthday party, I usually ask before hand, what’s being served. If anything served contains peanuts or peanut butter, I usually “politely” decline. I try so hard to explain our situation, trying not to make the parent feel bad for serving their peanut products. They have every right. These are situations that people with food allergies deal with all the time and get use to it. Sometimes it’s hard for Nat, but we’ve tried to raise her to understand that there are going to be places she can’t go and things she can’t do. Simply because she has food allergies.
When she was younger, my mother had bought some ice cream and was reluctant to eat it around her. She was like “I’ll wait”. I told her “No!” She needed to go ahead and eat the ice cream if she wanted it. Nat needed to understand that there is going to be foods that she can’t have and there are going to be people eating foods around her that she can’t have for the rest of her life. This is something that she needed accept and get use to. And yes, even at this age. ESPECIALLY at this age.
It’s hard, I’m not going to lie. The older they get, the more you have to deal with. Wanting to go to a friends house, or wanting to spend the night with a friend (which has yet to be allowed) can cause major anxiety.
There are lots of reason’s behind that question “Why can’t I go”, whether it being the food served or just your “Nerves”. Either way, just find a routine that works best for you.
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