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  Laura Hogg Topic Started July 18 2011 at 3:07 pm Favorite 0

  I just read this article by Sandra Beasley, a woman who suffers from an extensive list of deadly allergies. In a nutshell (bad allergy pun not intended), she advocates that parents of kids with allergies loosen up a little bit when it comes to bans and "allergen-free" zones. She brings up a lot of interesting points - for example, that such a sheltered life cannot possibly prepare the child for the real world. She says, "You can only protect us from so much."

  What are your thoughts on this?

  
  I think the brings up a wise point of view, but I think it's definitely easier said than done. I don't have any kids, let alone with allergies, but I imagine that if I did, I would do everything I could to protect them. It's hard to curb that protective instinct!

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  Laura Hogg Answered July 18 2011 at 3:14 pm

  On the other hand, a rebuttal from allergymoms.com: http://www.allergymoms.com/modules/wordpress/index.php?p=1012

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  Bri Luginbill at HelloLife Answered July 18 2011 at 4:01 pm

  Well I read through Sandra Beasley's article and then the allergymoms.com blog post. Very interesting debate. I enjoyed reading both and found them both informative. I agree that Beasley's opinion will probably change once she has kids. But I did not think she was "ridiculous" like some bloggers thought as they commented on allergymoms.com rebuttal post. It seems that when she was a girl she had a very protective mom and she liked that and didn't at the same time. So when she gives her strong opinions, it may be because of something that happened that made her feel restrained her from the world. But on the other hand, I do think it's great having nut-free zones, so kids can enjoy places and not have to worry about going into an allergic reaction attack.

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  Laura Hogg Answered July 19 2011 at 7:56 am

  Yeah - I read through the comment thread on allergymoms.com after I posted it, and I found it very interesting. I was kind of surprised at how angry some of the posters got, but then again, I'm not an allergy mom - and a lot of their arguments made a lot of sense. I can only imagine how difficult it is to deal with having a child with life-threatening allergies. Several of them raised a good point: it's not really a "bubble", but rather something that enables their child to experience the world.

  However, I do agree with you, Bri - she is writing from her experience alone. Parents need to keep in mind that they could hear from their kids down the road some of the very same things that she is saying. (Not necessarily, of course, but it's possible.) And anyway, it's always good to keep the opposing viewpoint in mind, because you never know what you'll encounter.

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  Lisa Answered August 15 2011 at 11:55 am

  I think you make a good point. I do have a son that has allergies and asthma. It at some point I felt like he would have to be in a bubble just to survive. I found out that the air in my own home is just as bad as the outside air. That is of course if you buy all of the chemical cleaners from the store. Making that switch to green products helped him a lot. Having communication with his school to keep him healthy there has been a great burden lifted off my shoulders. :)

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  Laura Hogg Answered August 15 2011 at 1:25 pm

  Lisa, that's wonderful! You're setting a great example for other allergy parents. :)

  I think that a lot of kids would probably be a lot healthier if they switched over to green products. What kind of changes has his school made, and how did you help make them happen?

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