Last year, Megan Lavin told Allergic Living followers about her older son’s big rite of passage: going to his church’s summer camp.
It was a big step for a tween with multiple food allergies. But Megan worked closely with the camp on the menu options, and it was a great experience. Fast forward to the summer of 2024. It was time to sign up for the sleepaway camp again, but this year her church was joining with other congregations to create a larger camp.
As Megan shares in this episode of the Megan’s Minute video series, this meant more cooks and more people she didn’t know.
The big red flag for attending the camp was menu transparency. Megan asked ahead of time for the list of meals the campers would eat. The first year of camp, she got precise menu details, including ingredients. This meant she just had to fill in a few safe food staples for her son, where needed.
However, this year, “they handed me a piece of paper that simply said things like ‘tacos’ and ‘sandwiches’ and so forth. I was flabbergasted and asked, ‘where is the rest of the list?'” she says in the video.
Her son’s severe allergens include common ingredients like dairy, wheat and most tree nuts. So camp menu information was essential.
Husband’s Help on the Camp Menu
Megan offered to suggest brands, but was told individual cooks were doing their own shopping. She was then told she could just shop for her son and get reimbursed. However, that would mean a ton of food and snacks, and likely she’d be repeating foods the camp cooks were buying. She was getting both unnerved and frustrated.
She told her husband of her concerns, since he would be a chaperone for the camp trip in the woods of Idaho. Fortunately, he’d been involved in organizing meetings, and knew that their son’s allergies had been factored into the camp’s menu planning.
He is experienced with their children’s food allergies but, even still, it was hard to let go. As Megan relates, “I was still a ball of nerves, not being able to double-check” the ingredients.
Do listen to Megan’s tale of the camp menu dilemma. She ultimately agreed her son could go, but this definitely stretched her trust levels – and her comfort zone.
With her kids, Megan uses the motto: “I can do hard things.” And this was one of the harder decisions she’s had to face as an allergy mom.
Join Allergic Living monthly for a new installment of Megan’s Minute with Megan Lavin, the creator of the Allergy Awesomeness blog. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
More Megan’s Minute Videos:
Summer Camp with Food Allergies: Part One
Going to Birthday Parties
Creating a 504 Plan for an Allergic Student
Playing Sports: Snacks and Food Allergy Safety
How to Host or Attend Big Family Get-Togethers
How Not to Overreact with an Allergic Child
