Welcome to my Q&A! Please feel free to ask any questions regarding my allergies, experiences, or well anything you feel appropriate! I don't mind personal questions and hope that you are satisfied with my response. I will try my best to update it as much as possible. If you wish to contact me in private, you may do so via social media in the icons at the top. You may also ask questions in the comments section or the chat box.
- What was it like getting through my teenage years with an allergy?
I can't really say that my allergy affected my teenage years as I wasn't a 'popular' kid so to speak. I had a small group of friends and I kept to myself and I have always been that way. I was more or less invisible so no one really paid attention to me or my allergies. I was always kind of embarrassed to take a special bag with my Epi-Pens inside, but more so because it wasn't a 'in-fashion' bag and more of a practical thing. I guess hiding stuff like that was my way of dealing with prejudice. If you have kids with allergies just make sure you get them stuff that they like, as their only choice in having an allergy is choosing how they present it to people. I don't think children should be ashamed of their allergies or feel the need to conceal them but children will be children and they do get bullied for being different. So as long as you enforce that it's okay and that there's nothing bad about people knowing you have an allergy then that's fine!
School meals are the cool things to have or what the majority have, and having allergies can sometimes mean you are not allowed to have school meals, so giving your child something to look forward to in his or her packed lunch is a good idea.
I really didn't think that my allergy was a big deal for me, so I can't really elaborate on that. I think that parents should keep in mind that your child wanting to fit in and be accepted is still important for their mental health in the long run, so not making a big deal in front of other students when possible is something to keep in mind, as it may draw negative attention to them or cause your child to get bullied more than not saying anything (which can result in kids having peanut butter fights or something). As long as children know that someone in their class has allergies and that parents are made aware that is sufficient.
