Lucky11 Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Smelling the breath of someone who has just eaten peanuts would not cause an allergic reaction in the girl. But the larger issue is that these misconceptions are what fuel these types of disagreements. If you're a parent of school-age kids, it might be helpful to take 10 minutes to read up on food allergies. Even if your kid doesn't have any, there's a good chance he or she will befriend someone who does. As for the home-schooling: Life-threatening food allergies is a problem this girl will likely have to deal with the rest of her life. I'm not sure that spending her formative years at home, essentially in a bubble, is the best solution. If my goal is raise a confident child who's able to understand that the world is filled with inherent risks and dangers that she won't be able to control, I can't do that by keeping her trapped at home all day. if smelling the breath of a child who has just eaten peanuts is not enough to cause an allergic reaction, then why are the kids being told to rinse their mouths before entering the classroom? isn't that exactly the reason, to attempt to eliminate every possible scenario whereby she might come into contact with the allergen? and as for home schooling, i agree that this girl has a long road ahead of her and will probably never lead a "normal" life due to her medical condition. so in these "formative years" do you think it best that she remains in the public school system, where she will have extreme accommodations (i.e. peanut-sniffing dogs patrolling classrooms) made for her in every grade as she matriculates? do you think it more likely her classmates will magically accept her condition and the new regulations they entail, or that she will become a social pariah due to the "typical" nature of school-age children. given the choice of my child's physical health due to her extreme allergy, and the innate inability to control the actions of others, i would keep her "trapped" at home and utilize the home schooling option. and as for her mental health, i consider that an even more viable option than to have her ridiculed (or protested) at the hands of the children in her public school class. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Agent Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 if smelling the breath of a child who has just eaten peanuts is not enough to cause an allergic reaction, then why are the kids being told to rinse their mouths before entering the classroom? isn't that exactly the reason, to attempt to eliminate every possible scenario whereby she might come into contact with the allergen? Probably to make sure there was no residue still in the mouth. Peanut butter is kind of sticky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEC=UGA Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 You're not the insane Capt. Kirk lover? Did I mix you up with someone else? I think you got Timmay and me confused. Can't say I'm flattered, but, also, it could have been much worse. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt770 Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Your sister sounds like a selfish idiot. Great set of jugs on her though. Is it just me or does it seem like peanut allergies have increased tenfold over the past 20-30 years? It was unheard of when I was a kid and I went to some pretty huge schools. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SEC=UGA Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Great set of jugs on her though. Is it just me or does it seem like peanut allergies have increased tenfold over the past 20-30 years? It was unheard of when I was a kid and I went to some pretty huge schools. Hell, half of the children in certain African countries are getting healthy due to a peanut butter based super food that is being passed around the starving of these nations. We are definitely facing some really odd things in this country. Never heard of it while in school, either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Double Agent Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Is it just me or does it seem like peanut allergies have increased tenfold over the past 20-30 years? It was unheard of when I was a kid and I went to some pretty huge schools. It is odd. I do know that a lot of women become allergic to nuts after marriage. Maybe they're passing it on to their kids. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lucky11 Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Perhaps it wasn't something they even tried to diagnose 20-30 years ago? i can remember seeing an allergist in 1985 when i was in high school. they did a scratch test on my back for 30 (maybe more?) kinds of substances i might be allergic to. doctors absolutely were diagnosing this kind of thing within that timeframe. my guess, and this is a complete guess, is that doctors nowadays are so intimidated by our litigious society (and lack of tort reform, but that's another topic) that they go to the extreme when diagnosing an allergy and the possible consequences of a child coming into contact with it to cover their butts in case of a malpractice suit. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
muck Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Allergies up. GMO's up. Coincidence? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wiegie Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I thought that one of the hypotheses that was out there is that because kids live in such cleaner environments today that their antibodies basically get bored and start looking for something to do--hence more allergies. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hygiene_hypothesis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
montster Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 Either (i) you're trying to goad a response, or (ii) you have a real clear grasp on what home-schooling is and what it is not. I admit I don't know much about home-schooling. Perhaps "trapped" was a poor choice of words. What I was responding to was the implication that this girl was somehow "unfit" for public school and that the reasonable alternative was for her to stay home. if smelling the breath of a child who has just eaten peanuts is not enough to cause an allergic reaction, then why are the kids being told to rinse their mouths before entering the classroom? isn't that exactly the reason, to attempt to eliminate every possible scenario whereby she might come into contact with the allergen? From an updated story: They also were required to rinse their mouths after lunch, but district spokeswoman Nancy Wait tells ParentDish that requirement was recently changed to simply wiping their faces with a wet cloth -- a change made even before parents decided to protest the district's efforts to keep the unnamed female student safe. "The same procedures were in place last year, and they have been in place all of this year," Wait says. "This is really a misunderstanding by some parents." and as for home schooling, i agree that this girl has a long road ahead of her and will probably never lead a "normal" life due to her medical condition. so in these "formative years" do you think it best that she remains in the public school system, where she will have extreme accommodations (i.e. peanut-sniffing dogs patrolling classrooms) made for her in every grade as she matriculates? do you think it more likely her classmates will magically accept her condition and the new regulations they entail, or that she will become a social pariah due to the "typical" nature of school-age children. given the choice of my child's physical health due to her extreme allergy, and the innate inability to control the actions of others, i would keep her "trapped" at home and utilize the home schooling option. and as for her mental health, i consider that an even more viable option than to have her ridiculed (or protested) at the hands of the children in her public school class. Let's examine these "extreme" accommodations: Children are required to wash their hands and faces when they get to school and after lunch. According to the story, a peanut-sniffing dog checked out the school during spring break, when, presumably, no one was at the school. I'm also assuming the class is kept peanut-free. That's it. My daughter, who is in kindergarten, has a severe nut allergy. She goes to public school. She knows she's allergic. She tells people all the time. No kids make fun of her. Why would they? And if they do, what's to stop them from making fun of her hair, or her clothes, or what she looks like? This Florida girl is in first grade. If these other kids are subjected to "extreme" accommodations, the only reason they would associate it with the allergic girl is if their parents told them she was why they had to do it. The fact that you jump to the conclusion that this could lead to her becoming a "social pariah" says more about you than her. i can remember seeing an allergist in 1985 when i was in high school. they did a scratch test on my back for 30 (maybe more?) kinds of substances i might be allergic to. doctors absolutely were diagnosing this kind of thing within that timeframe. my guess, and this is a complete guess, is that doctors nowadays are so intimidated by our litigious society (and lack of tort reform, but that's another topic) that they go to the extreme when diagnosing an allergy and the possible consequences of a child coming into contact with it to cover their butts in case of a malpractice suit. This is complete horsemanure. Yes, the rise in food allergies is because doctors are making it up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Next Generation Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 I was allergic to peanuts, chocolate, and oranges as a kid. I just didn't eat them and I was fine. Luckily, I grew-out of my allergies as a young teenager and I enjoy all 3 of them very much. Seems like the allergies these days are far worse than anything I ever had, though. My nephew is allergic to tree nuts. Peanuts he's fine with since they're legumes, go figure... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NAUgrad Posted March 23, 2011 Share Posted March 23, 2011 It is odd. I do know that a lot of women become allergic to nuts after marriage. Maybe they're passing it on to their kids. That's funny right there! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kpholmes Posted March 24, 2011 Author Share Posted March 24, 2011 Good post, montster. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Irish Doggy Posted March 24, 2011 Share Posted March 24, 2011 Schools practicing good hygiene. Oh, the hughmanity! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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