Halloween with a severely food allergic child is a delicate proposition. You want your kid to enjoy the holiday and feel included, but at the same time you're always squinting at their loot, scouting for the Snickers and the Baby Ruths that, for your family, might as well be little hand grenades.
We trick-or-treated at four houses tonight. That was one up from last year, where we knew all three families well and had informed them that we'd be coming. Tonight's new house was a wild card. We know the couple who lives there but hadn't explained to them Fruit Bat's food issues.
We were greeted at the door with a huge bowl of peanut-laden candy bars. Fruit Bat and Kitty Cat each took one and I instituted a trade-in policy, where they got to hand over the explosives for Skittles or Starburst.
It worked well and Fruit Bat handled it beautifully. I'm so proud of my guy, with how aware he's becoming of his dietary limitations. At the same time, I wither a little each time he has to eat his own cupcake (granted, its the best damn cupcake in the place...I make sure of that) at a birthday party.
I really hope beyond hope that researchers are able to come up with a treatment someday, so Fruit Bat and other kids like him don't have the weight of anaphylaxsis on their skinny little shoulders.
This is why I said you're my west coast alter ego... we had the exact same experience here last night. Well, and also my 3-year-old with the issues has a bad case of croup, and was ornery and refused to have anything to do with his skeleton costume. So I put plaid shorts and an argyle sweater on him and handed him a plastic club, and he went as a golfer. We went to five houses that I had reverse-trick-or-treated beforehand. (I gave them each bags labeled "Ryan" with skittles and lollipops.)
We are walking in Charlotte's Food Allergy and Anaphylaxis Walk Saturday... feel free to donate a little money if you can! http://www.foodallergywalk.org/site/TR/2007Walk/General?px=1174162&pg=personal&fr_id=1042
(And as I was typing this, he was playing on the floor in front of my desk and apparently found a stray m&m. I don't know whether it was peanut, I don't think so, but he ate it. I better go get out of my pajamas so I can be prepared if I need to jab him with epi and go to the ER, which I've never had to do. Lord help me, I am looking forward to the day he knows what he can and can't eat.)
Posted by: jenn | November 01, 2007 at 06:27 AM
These are the building blocks in Fruit Bat's character. Sounds like you got someone to be real proud of!
Posted by: Lyssa Ireland Thomas | November 01, 2007 at 06:29 AM
I have read that "they" are working on a "non-allergic" peanut.
It's just a matter of time...
Posted by: dara | November 01, 2007 at 07:36 AM
When we were sorting throught he stash last night, we couldn't get over how many of the candy bars had nuts. Our kids aren't even allowed to bring nuts into the classroom for a snack anymore. Scary stuff. What a trooper your Fruit Bat is!
Posted by: nutmeg | November 01, 2007 at 12:09 PM
Oy, can't be easy.
Posted by: BOSSY | November 01, 2007 at 02:29 PM