In this Megan’s Minute video, regular contributor Megan Lavin tackles a case of a boy’s hurt feelings over food allergies. The 5th grader’s mom wrote to Megan to explain what happened. She writes:
“My son who is in 5th grade, had his EpiPens in his pocket and a teacher asked him “What’s that?” My son told the teacher what they were. The teacher then asked what my son was allergic to.
He responded: “peanuts and tree nuts.”
The teacher replied: “Oh that’s such a bad allergy to have!”
The allergy mom feels sad for her son, since this pitying comment made him feel bad about himself.
The mom asks Megan mostly about what to say to the teacher. In the video, Megan, the owner of the recipe website AllergyAwesomeness.com, addresses that. But she spends more time on: What to do about the son’s hurt feelings?
Her reason is simple – we can show people like this teacher how something has affected a child. But whether they learn from our words and attempts to educate isn’t in our control. However, she says, “the main thing we can control is how we teach our children to react to this and what we model for them.”
What to Do on Hurt Feelings and Allergies
On the question of hurt feelings and this situation, Megan covers:
- Why it’s a good idea to email the teacher, and to educate in follow-up. But why not to do it while you’re fuming.
- How to handle the chat with your child, including when to have and the demeanor to show.
- Tips to take away the power of those pitying words that hurt.
- Helping the child to see that people don’t always mean badly. Sometimes, they’re just “lights out” about food allergies.
- Finding an age-appropriate statement, so the child has a comeback the next time unwanted pity arises. This helps empower the child.
We hope you find this video helpful. Megan and Allergic Living welcome your comments, either on Allergic Living’s Youtube channel or the video posts on Facebook/Instagram.
Megan’s Minute Series
Join Allergic Living monthly for a new installment of Megan’s Minute with Megan Lavin, the creator of the Allergy Awesomeness blog, which features great Top-9 free recipes and articles. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
More videos from Megan Lavin:
Eating Out Safely with Allergies
How Not to Over-React with and Allergic Child
How to Create a Food Storage Pantry with Allergies
Food Allergies and the Married Couple
Creating a School 504 Plan
How to Plan Meals with Food Allergies
