My almost-not-a-tween spent her own time culling and sorting, so I stepped aside. Adapting the binder idea, she re-used an accordian-style folder from school. The result is a file of sheets of recipe options she has used, will use, or will adapt to use. The plan is to collect the most successful recipes from the collection and start a new binder with the plastic protectors per Barb's suggestion. It will be her very own Milk-free, Egg-free, Nut-free (except almonds!), and Sesame-free cookbook!
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The Gifts of Food Allergy
Post as it appeared in 2003:
The Gifts of Food Allergy
Raising a child who has food allergies brings many unexpected challenges into our lives. Life would be much easier without having to deal with food allergies. However, think of all you have learned and the positive ways food allergy has affected your life.
Nothing is all bad or good, and food allergy is no exception. Listed below are some of the positive ways food allergy has enriched the lives of families just like yours.
* Your family is aware of what they eat, and is likely to make healthy food choices.
* You are active in your child's academic life; the administration, nurse, and teachers all know you.
* You've become more than you were (stronger, wiser, more assertive) to keep your child healthy and happy.
* Your child knows what it feels like to be different and has learned to be compassionate to others.
* Your family has learned to "look out for each other," allowing children to learn true caring.
* Your child has learned that his or her actions can have extreme consequences and has learned to make responsible decisions.
* Food allergy teaches patience, safety, and restraint as opposed to immediate gratification (e.g., the label must be read before eating an item, food cannot be shared, etc.)
* Your child grows up focusing on activities rather than snacks and meals.
These are only a few ways that food allergy can affect our lives in positive ways. There are many, many others. Feel free to share some of yours with us. We'd love to hear from you.
Tween and I would love to hear from you too!
Eat happy :)
Eat happy :)
I never would have thought about the positives of food allergies! And thank you for including my recipe binder idea.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure why I didn't see this before. So much of this can be applied to my boys and living with CF. Thank you for giving me positives to focus on. I will copy and paste these so I have them when I am feeling overwhelmed. Do you mind if I share some of these on my blog, too?
ReplyDeleteI am so glad the message was heard! We found it at a just right moment :) It is still on the fridge. As I did not even write it, please feel free to share. (It's hard to even remember when newsletters actually came in the mail, you know?)
ReplyDeleteThank you for posting the The Gifts of Food Allergy. We are dealing with 3 year old with multiple food allergies and sometimes get frustrated. This will help my wife and I remember there are positives in everything! Thank you!
ReplyDeleteYou are welcome. Yes, she learned the value of delayed gratification at a very young age and it has served her well. Good luck to you!
ReplyDelete