Last week I had my first night out with my friends! Being 18 means I can go out and dance all night with my friends (as I said before: not big on the whole alcohol thing). Whilst your children, or you, might not be of that age yet, I thought I'd discuss nights out from an allergy point of view.
I'll admit, I was a bit nervous, crowded clubs where the bartender could mishear your drink order was the allergy concern, but it was mainly being in the city late at night... I'll assure you now: EVERYTHING WAS FINE!
In fact it was more than fine! I had an amazing time with my friends and encountered no problems.
I know that a lot of allergy parents don't let their kids do certain activities or go certain places because of the allergy. Whilst it is totally a personal decision, I thought I should point out a few things.
My parents are great, they have brought me up with an abundance of knowledge about my allergies so that I understand what they mean and my limitations. But they never denied me opportunities that came my way. I went to parties, sleepovers, school camps, excursions and out and about generally. I was always reminded to be careful, did I pack my medication etc and now I do the same thing to myself, but in my head!
I always remember taking my own food to parties or camps and calling the hosts to discuss food! Taking my own breakfasts to sleepovers and quite often taking my own lunch to outings with friends/family. It became normal for me to cater for myself, but I still relished the social life! I believe this is what has made me a better adult. My parents taught me that I can do everything a normal person can (with the exception of food competitions! LOL) but I just have to plan it out a bit more. This philosophy has helped me to do some amazing and fun things with my friends! Such as shopping trips, baking days, parties and most recently, nights out.
I'm all for protecting children, as I believe when they are younger and don't quite understand you need to watch over them! But the fact of the matter is that they will get older, and want to go out and socialise, and once they turn 18, you cannot stop them! Education is the key with allergies and eczema: If they have the knowledge, they can succeed on their own!
Have a great day/night and I'll chat to you all tomorrow!
Thank you for sharing. I encourage my child to do anything that is age appropriate, I believe this to be his learning tool into adulthood. As long as he takes his own food and epipen where ever he goes anything is possible. When I get a chance to teach his friends about anaphylaxis and the use of a epipen I do that too.
ReplyDeleteThats great! I hope your child has a great time no matter what he does :) Thankyou for reading and commenting :)
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