Interesting Information About Bullying and Allergies

Interesting discussion of pervasive childhood allergies in this book: "Healing the New Childhood Epidemics - Autism, ADHD, Asthma & Allergies" by Kenneth Bock, MD and Cameron Stauth.

IMHO (and I'm not a health care provider of any sort) - what we see today is absolutey NOT normal.

I had an acquaintance with a son with Type 1 diabetes (another growing disorder among children). While at school, he was held down by some other boys and forced to eat some sort of candy (pop rocks??).

It's disgusting, and potentially deadly, behavior that must be dealt with harshly.

My kids are non-allergic, but I have a life-threatening tree nut allergy. They are very protective of me, won't eat anything with tree nuts because they know if they don't wash up really well they could make me sick. Do they feel deprived? No, they feel good that they can protect Mommy. This carries over to school and friends - they are very protective of any friends with food allergies. It's funny, because both of my parents & my MIL will frequently bring things with tree nuts to my house - they just don't get it. The kids throw a fit and insist everything be taken back to the car or thrown out.

And yes, I think the grumbling by parents, and overall sense of entitlement (I want it, I should get no matter the consequences) makes it worse in schools.

Thanks for posting this. Last year we had a little "bully girl" in my DD's class, that knocked her lunch on the floor and came back with "Oh well, guess today you will go hungry". They were serving scrambled eggs, french toast and chicken patty that day at school. Since she is allergic to eggs, it was her lunch or nothing else. Now grant it, we delt with the matter, but for this to come from a 1st grader; OMGoodness!

I think allergies are on the rise because of how foods are processed and I think its all the hype about avoiding certain foods and starting foods later. When I had my oldest they said start solids at 4 months now they say 6 months. We used to start very very young and food allergies were rare makes you wonder if avoidance as babies is really the right way to go.
As for bullying its wrong no matter what the reason for it is and I don't think complaining about something in front of kids has anything to do with it. My uncle is the most intolerant person I have ever met but his daughter has always been accepting of everyone. I think some kids are just plain mean because they never have consequences for their behavior. Schools have ignored the behavior and parents have ignored the behavior that is what causes the severe bullying. The kinds see that they are able to get away even the most minor thing so the behavior escalades they push to see how far they can go before they get punished.

I have been wondering the same thing. I do not recall allergies being such a big deal either. And this is the first I am hearing about kids being bullied for their allergies. I have a 13 year old and when I took her to elementary, none of this was going on. When I took my daughter to preschool for the first time this year, it was a HUGE deal! They can't have certain snacks because of allergies...any snacks they do bring in have to be name brand. There is one kid in her class who is allergic to stickers....something with the glue on the stickers. I would like to know why this all of a sudden is a big problem and how this started!

I am not sure why this is on the rize, I firmly believe it is all the chemicals they put in the foods. It has finally taken a toll on us as the human race, but who can afford to eat organic everything.

My son is allergic to eggs, yes I realize he needs to be aware and handle himself accordingly as an adult; however, the allergenist has stated he has "a 45% chance of out growing it by age 5 and 85% chance of outgrowing it by 16 IF he is kept completly away from exposue where he falls % wise will all depend on how good of a job you do as a parent" This same child also has asthma which for some reason coinsides with egg allergies, I do not get it, but any so my oldest who used to live with egg in his life all the time, now has to get a flu shot to help protect his brother, so he is very sympathetic to allergies. He has a friend that has a chocolate sensitivity so my son flips out NO CHOCOLATE mom So & So is allergic! He will tell waiters MY SON IS ALLERGIC TO EGG AND CANNOT HAVE THAT!! but on the flip side my inlaws have said right to us "why should we change our lifestyles for him." when you have people out there who are very self centered and selfish their kids will be too, and this is where I feel the bully issue comes into play. If you cannot remove a food from your diet for a couple of hours for a family member how on earth do these parents react to a daily change in their school. My son has reactive airway as a reaction to even a touch that has egg proteins on it. It is not fun. I wish EVERYONE could walk one day in the shoes of a parent/child with these allergies.

Look kids can be mean. You could insert ANY small thing that sets apart O. child from others...any difference and you can find evidence of bullying (too tall, too short, too fat, too thin, wears glasses, wears a hearing aid, has a crutch, a wheelchair, a limp, red hair, and on and on and on.....)
Bullies have always preyed on the weak, the different, the exception to the rule. This is the SAME thing but with O. (maybe) difference....the child could die. But then again, other forms of bullying have gotten so escalated that kids HAVE died--either by force or by suicide.
My bottom line: Schools (AND PARENTS) need to have an actual ZERO TOLERANCE for bullying--of any kind--peanut allergy or glasses.