Ban the Evil Peanutbutter!!!

Ok, I am torn here. I have seen the severe reactions to peanuts (specifically) by someone that has a peanut allergy. It was very scary. But there is a line, right?

http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/pb-38-j-worst-weapon-kid-bring-school-215000284.html

Is an outright ban really the best that can be done? I mean, I know there have been times that I just didn’t have money for more than a PBnJ, chips a couple cookies and kool-aid for my son’s lunch.  Aside from that, we are back to pandering to one MINORITY – but in this case, the result could very well be death. You all know how much I LOVE pandering. (please note the sarcasm)

Ok, let’s get to the meat of this.

Ban completely? No, not a good idea. Even the founder of The Food Allergy & Anaphylaxis Network, a nut allergy advocacy group, says that the outright ban is a bad idea and prefers finding the middle ground (from linked article).

How about this: When the kid is registered, in ALL of that paperwork that has to be filled out each and every year, list the allergies. Wait, what? They already do that? Oh, ok…. Then since we have that data, why not have the allergy kids eat at a separate table – or they have lunch after all of the other kids eat (thereby reducing the threat of residue). Hmmm. I may be onto something!

I think they call it “compromise”.

Educate. Teach what need to be done if a reaction happens. Show the kids BY EXAMPLE that steps can be made to be rational about issues that are even as extreme as this. But for fuck’s sake, do not ban this for ALL students because of a few. My ex-wife is HIGHLY allergic to strawberries, but I love them and so does my son. They are in the house, she just doesn’t touch them. It’s called teaching the next generation that they will have to know what to do if they come into contact with something to which they are allergic instead of instilling in their minds that they can simply force EVERYONE around them to cater to their needs, because one day, they will apply the same logic to their “wants”.

This is where things get sticky. A line has to be drawn. Solutions have to be developed that will ensure that everyone is safe and happy (as best we can). Banning is not the answer. Education is. Not just for the ones that do NOT have the allergies, but also the ones that do, and those that are employed to be caretakers.

Before you jump up and down, the school is taking care of my son while he is there. They are his caretakers while in school. I have to trust that they will keep him safe while not in my care. That does not mean I intend for them to raise my son. I will educate him on what to do if he sees an emergency. They can reinforce that teaching and provide specifics (such as where the nurse’ office is  and what needs to be said to ensure that the nurse responds with the proper equipment, such as an epi-pen.

I just think that catering, pandering, whatever you want to call it, is not helping teach ANY of the students how to deal with things in the real world. When they graduate, they will still have the allergies – we can’t very well ban peanut butter across the country to protect the whatever-the-percentage-below-the-majority-line-it-is because when they were young nobody taught them how to handle the reaction. Teach responsibility! Get the shit together!!