How Food Allergy Parents Really Feel When Parents Lie About Their Kid’s Allergies
Kids are very interesting creatures. I know from experience that toddlers can be the pickiest eaters. Without fail, there seems to be an unspoken rule in our household: If I make something stupid and crappy for dinner, my toddler will gobble it up and ask for more. If I spend time slaving over the stove and painstakingly following a recipe, he will throw it on the floor and declare that he hates it.
I get it. Kids are picky and hard to feed. Kids go through strange phases where they only eat white foods or foods that come out of crinkly bags. But still. Parents, no matter how picky or annoying your kid may be at mealtime, it is never, never, never, NEVER okay to lie and say that they have an allergy for your convenience.
I am the mother of a son with food allergies, seasonal allergies, eczema, and asthma. I have said many times that I feel fortunate because our allergist believes that his food allergies are skin-related and can primarily cause eczema flare-ups. Nonetheless, my husband and I have still busted our asses to eliminate trigger foods from his diet and are currently on a clean eating program to improve his digestive issues, immunity, and asthma/respiratory attacks. So far, so good.
When we go on vacation or to a restaurant, I pack all kinds of allergy-friendly snacks. Or, I try to ask the waiter for something simple that my son can eat without a reaction, like grilled chicken and steamed broccoli. I am not a dick about it because my husband and I were both servers and bartenders for ten years. We go out of our way to do all the hard work when dining with friends or at a restaurant because IT’S OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS PARENTS.
Here’s what happens when parents take the lazy way out and lie about their kids having food allergies:
Same as, I have to carry 2 epi pens at all times in case of emergencies and have told my friends/family how to administer them if ever they need to. It really FUCKS me off when people lie about having food allergies as it makes the legitimate people like you and I look like bad people. I know it sounds evil, but having gone into anaphylatic shock myself and the misery endured with adrenaline shots in my arse, being on a ventilator and hooked up to various other machines I’d actually love for one of these lying cunts to have to endure that for several hours. They’d soon shut up when they realise just how frightening it can be when you do go into anaphylatic shock and how careful you have to be avoid any triggers once you know you have this reaction.
This lying about allergies shit happens in restaurants all the time. It’s really terrible because restaurants take it seriously (as they should) and have a separate method of preparing these dishes for customers with allergies, and it’s a big slap in the face when a customer that’s “allergic to gluten” then orders a piece of chocolate cake for dessert. “Oh I’ll risk it just once tonight!” They make it worse for people with real allergies that are actually life threatening.
I could not agree more. I’m happy to be in a place where my son’s allergies are manageable related to his eczema and asthma, although it hasn’t been an easy road. With every allergy-related issue we’ve encountered, I have more and more respect for parents of children with life-threatening allergies who must contain every potential trigger in the real world. Parents, please take this to heart and don’t ever lie about your child’s food preferences. It really could be a matter of life or death for some parents.
(Image: MNStudio/Shutterstock)
