Thread: What the Heck...For Real?!?!

Wullie,
I think the point is the seriousness of the peanut allergy, itself.
I don't smoke , but I have never agreed with the general banning of smoking in establishments. If I walk into a place that I don't like the climate or service, I just go somewhere else.
I hate government restrictions as much as anyone, but I have no problem not sending the peanut butter sandwich to school.

Originally Posted by Wullie

I know you don't want sympathy but I feel for your daughter. I hate that any kid has to go through life with such difficulties. However, to deprive a whole school of an item of food because of one seems over the top to me. I realize and appreciate the fact that you want the best for your daughter and I respect that. The world out there is pretty much a public place. Would you expect all of the world to give up its peanut butter and cats?


I recall a few years back, I was at a restaurant eating supper. That place had a BIG sign outside, and large sign on the door, and ashtrays at every table. The signs said smoking allowed and others said NO NON SMOKING AREA PROVIDED. I ate there quite often as it was a refuge for those of us that smoked. One evening, I finished my meal and fired one up only to be railed at by a very upset father of a young man about 2 or so years old. He was livid! He told me that his child was highly allergic to cigarette smoke and could go into convulsions and die. I quietly stubbed out my smoke and told the man, I had no intentions of ever hurting a child under any circumstances knowingly. I then went on to inform him that since the child had problems like that, just what in the HELL was he doing bringing the child into that place. I asked him if he could read or was he just trying to start a fight or make a scene. Seems he hadn't noticed all the warnings and blows my mind that he couldn't tell it was a smoking joint when he walked in.

He apologized and took his family elsewhere.

I think we'll all agree that the father in this case was a definite dumba$$.

So just to be clear. A child has an extreme allergy that could kill them. For somewhere between .4 and 1.5% of the population in a school, other kids can't have a lunch that was hastily scrounged together when the parents couldn't find or afford anything else! Would you see those kids go hungry because of one child who has a severe allergy? Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have had a place in american society for over a century. Kids love peanut butter and it is an inexpensive and protein packed food!

Peanut butter sandwiches can be documented back before the turn of the 20th century! Sad to lose something with such historical significance.

My other side says, what are scientists doing to make peanuts so different that the allergy rate is steadily climbing? Or are the completely sterile environments in which we live, work, and play creating more sensitivity?

I'm not looking for any and I'm not being smart. My daughters school doesn't ban peanuts we didn't ask them to, and I see no reason to. She has her own table, and nobody sits at it who has peanuts, peanut butter, or any other nut product. When kids want to sit with her, the lunch attendant checks their lunch for nuts, and if they have none, they are allowed to sit with her, no problem. A restaurant has no limit to who or what comes in the door and I'm fine with that, I can choose to not take her, school I can't, she has to go. All we've asked the school for is a food nut free class room and that anyone that would be around her the majority of the time be trained on how to use an epi-pen. I don't think that's asking a lot it takes 5 sec. to learn how to use an epi-pen. Her's a thought - There's lots of stuff banned, controlled substances that would seriously hurt or kill us all, you don't find them in your food though do you?

Originally Posted by Yochatman

So just to be clear. A child has an extreme allergy that could kill them. For somewhere between .4 and 1.5% of the population in a school, other kids can't have a lunch that was hastily scrounged together when the parents couldn't find or afford anything else! Would you see those kids go hungry because of one child who has a severe allergy? Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches have had a place in american society for over a century. Kids love peanut butter and it is an inexpensive and protein packed food!

Peanut butter sandwiches can be documented back before the turn of the 20th century! Sad to lose something with such historical significance.

My other side says, what are scientists doing to make peanuts so different that the allergy rate is steadily climbing? Or are the completely sterile environments in which we live, work, and play creating more sensitivity?

If my calculation was right, that would 10 kids in a school of 700.
Is your love for the Historic Peanut Butter Sandwich, more important than the health of those kids?

Soon they will tell us what size soda we can drink............ Oh wait they done that allready!
Large-Size Sugary Drink Ban Passes In NYC, Opponents Vow A Fight - Forbes

Originally Posted by Trimmy72

I'm not looking for any and I'm not being smart. My daughters school doesn't ban peanuts we didn't ask them to, and I see no reason to. She has her own table, and nobody sits at it who has peanuts, peanut butter, or any other nut product. When kids want to sit with her, the lunch attendant checks their lunch for nuts, and if they have none, they are allowed to sit with her, no problem. A restaurant has no limit to who or what comes in the door and I'm fine with that, I can choose to not take her, school I can't, she has to go. All we've asked the school for is a food nut free class room and that anyone that would be around her the majority of the time be trained on how to use an epi-pen. I don't think that's asking a lot it takes 5 sec. to learn how to use an epi-pen. Her's a thought - There's lots of stuff banned, controlled substances that would seriously hurt or kill us all, you don't find them in your food though do you?

This is reasonable. You are just asking for reasonable accommodations. I have students with different allergies that could cause anaphylaxis from peanuts, to milk, to bee stings, and even soy. We all have to watch a video on how to use an epi-pen every year, as well as refreshing our knowledge on dealing with blood borne pathogens, asthma, and the Heimlich maneuver! You never know when it will become necessary.

So 1 or 2 in 25? so that's saying to me every class room has some kid in it with some type of allergy or allergies, seems like a lot to me. And I don't know the last time you priced peanut butter, but it isn't cheap. And I'll agree with, it's the environment and I think I said it in an earlier post that we've been modifying food since the 40's - 50's so if your in your 50's or 60's your a first gen experiment, and your kids were next and so on....welcome to the result. This is just my opinion...

Originally Posted by Yochatman

So just to be clear. A child has an extreme allergy that could kill them. For somewhere between .4 and 1.5% of the population in a school, ?

I was just reading and confirmed that number too..

The overall average size of Elementary schools in the US is 446 so the discussion about allergies concerns less then 6 students per school at the most...

The best guess for the advent of more allergies seems to be the Hygine Hypothisis right now, the cleaner a society is the more allergies it has...



Any way just some numbers

I can't find the article now, but I read a couple of years ago how the rise in peanut allergies might be related to the decrease in breast feeding. Not sure how true it is, but it certainly makes sense to me.