Another Food holiday!

Happy Valentine's Day! I can't tell you how much anxiety goes along with Holidays for our family. It seems like the preschools make everyday a "learning with food" day. I have to provide snacks for my kids, plus any extra "special treats" in case another child brings in a birthday "surprise" treat. My kids have food allergies! My kids could die from the various surprise treats that are brought in EVERY day. And people wonder why our children are becoming fat at such early ages. I see why. Food is a HUGE part of their young lives.

An ice cream party at school makes me shiver with worry. A table full of sack lunches makes me grimace ...just how many peanut butter sandwiches are lurking in those colorful cooler bags? I make my kids promise they won't touch other kids food. I make my kids realize that sharing food is a BIG no no. And I watch them-- with the pride of a mother lion -- say "no thank you, I have peanut allergies" when someone tries to give them something to eat. My kids are four and three. They will probably always have to sit at "another table" so they won't get sick from food. I will always have to pack them separate chips, cookies, sandwiches. They can't eat the Chuck E Cheese cake at thier own party. They eat the cake I made for them. They know they could get sick, could "go to heaven" if they ate something I didn't approve or make.

And the most wonderful thing, the thing that makes up for all of the worrying: they have never complained, never whined, never asked "why me?" I realize that they are capable of dealing with this condition...now we just have to train the rest of the world!