Allergy Mom Video: My Food Allergy Tween Masters School Lunch

By:
in Managing Allergies, Parenting & School
Published: January 29, 2025

Megan Lavin told her son with multiple food allergies that, once he got to Junior High, making school lunch would become his responsibility. That time has arrived – and she couldn’t be prouder.

While her son is a responsible tween, his mom’s surprised to see how fully he’s embraced these new duties. “He’s relishing the opportunity to own and decide what he wants to eat,” she explains in this installment of the Megan’s Minute video series for Allergic Living.

The tween is getting up extra early to make a school lunch safe for his food allergies. He’s planning, even making sure to tell his mom what he needs before she goes grocery shopping.

With four kids (including a second son with food allergies), Megan has a lot of school lunches to prepare. It certainly helps that her oldest is easing the load. But that’s not her biggest motivation.  

She’s mindful that with multiple food allergies, her son will have few prepared food options when he’s old enough to live on his own. Megan, who’s known for her recipe blog, knows that cooking his own food will be a hugely important skill. “I feel it’s important for him to learn to start thinking about his food preparation – and to start doing it now,” she says.

Food Allergy School Lunch Planning

Megan’s son is also learning to think on what he’ll make, and embracing some school lunch creativity. A dish he loves is fish and rice, so he’ll make sure his Thermos is clean to keep it warm. Then he gets up early to start working at the stove.

“It’s enjoyable to see him thinking about his lunch the night before – and checking to see what options he has,” his mom says. For instance, he will think ahead to defrost beef patty, so he can enjoy a hamburger the next day.

Her son does have the earliest bus ride of her kids, so Megan relates that she sometimes lends a hand. Still, he is doing the heavy-lifting on school lunch – “waking up the earliest he ever has, getting himself ready, and preparing food.”

Megan’s hope in sharing this video? That it will remind others “how important it is for our food allergy kids to learn skills before they leave the home, so they enter adulthood confident and ready to take care of themselves.”

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:

Megan’s Easy School Lunches with Food Allergies
Going to Birthday Parties with Allergies
Hosting or Attending Big Family Gatherings
Taking a Family Cruise with Food Allergies
Creating a 504 Plan for an Allergic Student
Food Allergy as School: Self-Carrying Epi Matters
Warning: Wheat Starch with a Wheat Allergy
View the full video series on the Allergic Living YouTube Channel here.