February 2: Change

Today, I experienced change in action. I know that's kind of the point of this entire blog, but this change was different than, say, trying a new food or parking on the opposite side of the parking lot where you always park at your local PetSmart (which, for the record, is also something I did today). No, this change had a greater affect on my daughter's health - both physically, mentally and spiritually. How often can a parent boast that sort of accomplishment? I've spoken in past blog entries of my daughter's nut allergy. It has greatly affected her behavior in school, and elevated her anxiety level towards school significantly. Simply, she's terrified that she will be exposed to a nut and suffer the same horrible reaction that welcomed this entire situation into our lives. This fear has greatly affected her relationships with other students, as her worrying has been misinterpreted by some classmates as rudeness or bossy-ness; an easy mistake to make when you're only 6 years old. My daughter's gone so far as to have told certain classmates that they cannot eat their snack during snack time because it contained nuts, then telling on the student to her teacher. So, needless to say, it's gotten a little out-of-hand. Well, I'm very pleased to announce that, as of February 2, after repeated conversations with both her Teacher and the Vice-Principal, my daughter's classroom has been designated a nut-free zone (although her lunch room is still open for nut business; however there is a nut-free table)! I have to deliver a special "thank you" to her Pediatric Allergist, who was kind enough to draft a letter to the school suggesting that my daughter should be in a nut-free environment. Now, I know that there are naysayers out there who get huffy over this sort of thing because the other children in my daughter's classroom are now deprived of their nut-based granola bar or Keebler chocolate chip and walnut cookie. Believe me, I used to think the same way; that is, until we discovered my daughter's allergy. Perhaps if those people watch their own child struggle to take a breath because their throat is closing up as a result of ingesting a nut, they might have the same epiphany I had over this whole debate. So, there you have it. Change in action. It may not be the type of ground-breaking change that affects the lives of millions, but it certainly does affect one very important life for us. As it's our hopes this nut-free environment alleviates my daughter's anxiety and re-energizes her with the same excitement over school that she once demonstrated prior to our nut debacle.