Special note: I am having computer troubles today, so I will not post a new blog today! So sorry.
My “An ‘Allergy Girl’ Comes Out of Her Bubble article clipping dad presented me with this article about the same time someone posted it on Facebook. The title: “An ‘Allergy Girl’ Comes Out of Her Bubble. The author, Sandra Beasley has recently released her memoir “Don’t Kill the Birthday Girl: Tales from an Allergic Life.” and wrote this article in what I believe is a promotion piece for her book. I read the article since the Facebook post comments were focused on her thoughts if we’ve gone too far by creating a bubble “around those of us with food allergies.” I enjoyed her article as she talked about living with food allergies long before any awareness hit the mainstream. She does use this platform to offer up some food allergy education is quite honest about her own experiences. Beasely brings up a topic that is hot amongst parents of non-food allergic children and parents raising food allergic children within a school setting; how far to do we go to protect food allergic children without crossing the line of acceptable procedures and creating the bubble?
The universal challenge of the bubble is just that. It’s a bubble this is going to burst when the wind changes. None of us parents of food allergic children welcome any practice that is not real and that will harm our children by giving them a false sense of security. But…what is the bubble exactly? Where are the lines that define good prudent safe practices versus unrealistic bubble behavior? What is Bubble Action?
The author brings up two examples of what I believe she thinks is Bubble Action. First, she talks about incident that took place in 2008, when a school bus full of 10 year olds was evacuated when a single peanut was spotted on the floor. Now, I can’t comment about this since I don’t recall this situation. Was there a child with an airborne allergy on board? Was the bus driver trained on how to respond to an anaphylactic emergency and was feeling incapable”? Were there Epi Pens on board? Or was this a simple over reaction by a well meaning bus driver who became the poster child for folks needing a “good” example of “those food allergic bubble folk”?
Second, she mentioned baseball games hosted by the San Diego Padres and Minnesota Twins who offered “nut free” sections like this is bad thing. Our local stadium refused to offer a nut free section due to the high winds and was interested in hosting a full nut free day if they received enough public response. I can’t think of one reason as to why a nut free section would be considered Bubble Action? Does this mean nut free tables in cafeterias are Bubble Action too? When I visit my allergist and we are kindly reminded to not wear fragrance due to asthma and allergies of other patients is this Bubble Action? Hum…confusing.
For my family, we often have to stop and evaluate if we are creating an environment or situation that is not realistic and is create a confusing false sense of security for our food allergic children. When my kids were toddlers, you are darn right that they started out in a bubble. There could not self manage and it was my job to manage their immediate environment. Period. Right now, it our goal with our 8th grader to begin his steps in preparing for college. Yes, we are spending the next five years working on empowering him to make good choices while giving him the opportunity to actually make those choices–while we are within an arm’s reach!
The Bottom Line:
I personally, I think creating a little controversy is a fabulous way to get some attention towards a newly written book and maybe this gal is hoping to kick up some dust so we’ll check out her book. Of course, I am consciously not linking Beasley’s book in this blog since I am not a fan of creating controversy that may harm families who are out there in this world asking for peanuts to be removed from their child’s classroom due to past exposures and airborne issues, just to sell a book. I may be wrong, of course, but I’ve been wrong before and lived to tell the tale!
What did you think? Please share your comments!
One of the hardest things I find about managing both life threatening food allergies and asthma is talking to others. I hate to be the one that might be perceived as demanding, pushing or for asking too much. What I now know, fourteen years later, is that honest, clear information presented with kindness works!..
I am turned off so far on this author and her book, unfortunately. I enjoyed your thoughtful post, though. What is the bubble exactly? Yes, things can be taken too far perhaps but to me, her examples do not fit the “too far” description. And all the kids are different, different histories, different ages, different support systems (or lack their of), parents at different stages in the allergy journey of education and experience… We need a world that shows compassion for differences.
I still get the feeling the author is trying to be “neutral” to those who think we are creating bubble kids and again, I still can’t help to think a little controversy gets folks looking at the book, which can help her sales. I just can’t wrap my head around the fact that being prudent and taking reasonable actions can be deemed bubble action. Maybe in the book the author addresses the presence of asthma, which exacerbates an allergic reaction…there are just so many variances to make such generalized statements I believe.