Overreacting in front of our children about their food allergies can heighten anxiety. Meantime, underreacting to a situation may leave them confused and unsure. Neither of these are what we want when managing food allergies.
What we really want is that sweet spot in the middle. Yet, as Megan Lavin discusses in this Megan’s Minute video, it can be difficult to respond in the right way. We’re all human, we love our kids, and food allergies must be taken seriously. But sometimes the “Mama Bear” rises to the surface in a way that may be counterproductive to a child’s school experience or life lessons.
Megan gives examples of both overreacting and not reacting enough. For instance, if your child comes home and says the teacher handed out unsafe treats to the class, you might hit the roof. Maybe you say: “How dare the teacher do that when you have food allergies?! I’m going to give her a piece of my mind!”
Megan, the owner of the recipe website AllergyAwesomeness.com, has given a lot of thought to levels of reaction. And she’s benefited from the advice of a therapist best friend. In the video, Megan asks us to stop and consider what’s missing in the above example. Did you notice that while mom swiftly reacted, the child didn’t get to give a point of view? How did he feel about the situation, and how did he handle it?
Not Overreacting to Allergy Situations
She has plenty more to say on the topics of overreacting or underreacting in the video in this post.
In the video, Megan covers:
- The huge importance of asking kids questions. Rather than overreacting or underreacting, how to hear out their feelings about a situation.
- Working with your child on solutions; this helps empower them.
- If a teacher messes up on food allergies, how to approach. Megan relates a [not allowed] pizza day incident that made her furious. Before making contact, how she let herself cool off. By not overreacting, the teacher’s response was far better than expected. It set the tone for improved food allergy management.
- Underreacting: how to avoid the perils of shrugging off a child’s concerns.
- When you ‘blow it’ (and we all do): How to sit down with your child, apologize, hear them out, and work together on a resolution.
As always, Megan and Allergic Living welcome your comments related to the video, either on our Youtube channel or the video posts on Facebook/Instagram.
Megan’s Minute Series
Join Allergic Living monthly for a new installment of Megan’s Minute with Megan Lavin, the creator of the Allergy Awesomeness blog, which features great Top-9 free recipes and articles. Follow her on Instagram and Facebook.
More videos from Megan Lavin:
Eating Out Safely with Allergies
Food Allergies and the Married Couple
Creating a School 504 Plan
How to Plan Meals with Food Allergies
Going to Birthday Parties
Team Sports, Snacks and Food Allergies
