Who to Educate

Lately there has been a lot in the media about educating the public concerning allergies. I think that educating the public can and will help, but as the parent of children with allergies I find that the number one person that I need to educate is my child. I have come in contact with lots of parents who think that because my little girl,who is two, will not know she isn't suppose to grab certain foods. They are shocked when she tells them "I can't have cheese. It will make me sick." When my 5 year old see something that looks yummy his first impulse is to ask "does that have Eggs in it?" One of my greatest fears with my first son was that something might happen to me while it was just the two of us at home, and at two he might just go to the fridge and eat something he was allergic to because he was hungry. I had even thought about putting on a fridge lock, but dismissed that with the fear that if I did suffer some calamity that I wanted him to be able to get something to eat in case we weren't found for quite a while. At this point there were two things I could do. Get rid of everything that he might possibly be allergic to in the house(this would cut out cheese, milk, peanut butter, eggs, cake, cookies, mushrooms, peas, dried beans...etc.) Or I could educate him on what he could and could not eat. I chose to educate and it has made a world of difference in my anxiety level :). I will say however that I have limited items in my house that contain my children's most severe allergies. Children can and will learn so don't be afraid to start teaching them as soon as you find out they have an allergy. They are far less likely to be exposed if they know what to look for. When they do get exposed and feel bad make sure you tell them exactly why they feel so sick. Use little words and get down on there level. When my daughter gets exposed to milk I kneel down in front of her and say (of course after giving Benadryl and any other life saving needs) "does your mouth feel ichy?" "that's because you got some milk, but hopefully the medicine will help you feel better." With that she knows why she feels bad, and how she is going to get better. You can be the means of helping educate the public through your children. Most people are very willing to learn, but they need parents who aren't afraid to start where education is needed most...in the home. Then as you approach the public do not get hyper sensitive when someone does not understand or makes a mistake. We are all learning and most people are not out to make your life miserable they just forget...just like the rest of us.