Peanut Allergies

I went on an excellent field trip yesterday with Trevor and Amy's school. Both of their classes went and it was a really great day (more on that tomorrow). I had a moment, though, with another parent and it's been on my mind ever since...so of course I have to write about it.

There wasn't room for the parents on the bus so we all carpooled and met up at our destination shortly before the bus arrived. As I approached the group, the conversation was around what the parents had packed for their kids to eat, and one mom said she had packed a peanut butter sandwich for her kid. It went something like this:

Mom #1: I packed her a peanut butter sandwich.

Mom #2: Really? Are we allowed to do that, I thought there was a no-nut policy.

Mom #1: Well, they're not actually at the school. Besides, (rolling her eyes) what's the big deal?

Me: Well, you'd better keep your kid away from my kid, since peanuts might make him stop breathing and that's a pretty big deal to me.

Mom #1: Oh really. But that's just like, if he actually eats it, right?

Me: No, it's pretty much if he just touches it. I'm a little sensitive about it since someone offered him a treat at our lacrosse windup in June and he ended up in the hospital. And he even asked if there was peanuts in it.

Mom #2: Well, I'm sure that it was just a trace amount, probably the parent didn't know.

Me: Actually it was a store-bought peanut butter cookie. And since Trevor doesn't ever eat peanuts, he didn't recognize the smell. (Glaring at Mom #1)...so you can understand why I might be a little bit sensitive when it seems like some parents don't really care about my kid's safety from something totally avoidable.

Awkward pause...

Well, then.

This is quite something for me, as I hate conflict and confrontations. But that was just ignorant and careless and selfish, I couldn't let it go.

Weighing out the potential cost to little Timmy having to wait to only eat peanut butter at home vs. the potential loss of life for a child with peanut allergies/anaphylaxis....it's a no-brainer.

I think Mom #1 is now a little bit afraid of me.