Peanut Allergies

I have no idea why this came into my head today.

Here goes. When I was in 3rd grade my mom stopped making my lunch because I complained. See my problem was, I only ate peanut butter sandwiches and only on roman meal or sourdough bread. Never jelly on the sandwich in my sack lunch because it made the bread wet (gag). There would be an orange (hopefully) or a pear (in a pinch) or an apple (ugh, they get mushy) and two cookies, hopefully the kind my mom made.

I didn't like ham or turkey or cheese (ick) or tuna or egg salad. Now, it isn't that I never ate those things at home, but when a sandwich has to sit in closet for 4 hours before it is eaten, it needs to have a good shelf life.

And honestly, no one in my life would say I was a picky eater. I guess I'm just picky about the texture of the food when I eat it. Warm ham, half melted cheese, bread soaking wet from tuna or egg salad still grosses me out.

I also was one of the few kids who did not like eating in the school cafeteria. I honestly do not know what I would do today or what my mother would do if Peanut butter had been removed from my list of available foods.

Now, I don't want any kids to have to die for my love of peanut butter, but . . .

If you were the parent of the kid who only ate peanut butter and who could not find an alternative (note reasons above) what would you do? It is not exceptable for a kid to not eat all day.

I can also tell you I have a mom who never wanted another kid to be hurt or left out and I had a friend, Simone, who was Jehovah's Witness and could not celebrate any holidays in our classroom. My mom always made her a plain sugar cookie with plain white frosting in the shape of CIRCLE to have just because.

Simone's mom called to thank my mom. I wonder if, today, when my mom had to go to my elementary school, which was now designated a peanut free school and complain because her daughter refused to eat anything but peanut butter sandwiches and she felt my civil liberties were being ignored over another child, if any parents would call her to help.

I know this is somewhat trivial, but children all over this globe die each and every day from malnutrition. This happens at much higher rate than children dying from peanut allergies.

I have no answers. I have no plan. At least Skippy is putting their money where their peanuts are and funding research for a peanut allergy vaccine.

Money well spent I'm sure. Maybe they could send some of their peanut butter to the starving children of the world and become a non profit peanut organization to combat world hunger. I guess then I could live in one of those places.

Just a thought.