What is your background (age, race, married etc..)? I am 36; married, of European background.
Do you have allergies? Does your spouse? I do not have allergies, my husband is allergic to some alcoholic beverages.
Does anyone in your family or his have allergies? Not that we are aware.
How did you find out your child had allergies? We saw a patch of skin that became red and stayed that way on one child after contact with the allergen (peanuts), the other, threw up after consuming an ice cream with nuts, hence my suspicion of a nut allergy with him.
What was your first thought? I knew in both cases this was an allergy, call it motherly instinct.
How has this changed your life? It has made us very aware of what we eat when away from home, we ask allot of questions regarding how food is prepared and read more labels than ever. After a while, it becomes second nature.
How does your child cope at school? We are lucky. Our schools are nut free and both kids have nut allergies. School is a relatively safe place, assuming nobody sneaks in a peanut butter sandwich.
Does anyone treat your child differently? No, I think food allergies have become so common that it is no longer a surprise.
What would you like all parents to know- whether they have allergic kids or not? Always ask the parent if it is OK to give the child something to eat, never just assume.
Do you think your child will be all right? Yes, he has shown great responsibility and always asks when he is not sure.
Has your child outgrown any of their allergies? Not yet, but we are hoping.
How concerned is your family? Do they understand the gravity of the situation? Our families are puzzled as this did not occur in their time, they are learning just like we are. I feel they take it very seriously as nobody wants to hurt a loved one intentionally.
Anything else you would like to share with us? Allergies can be a bummer but they should never stop you from living your life.
