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Well listmates, unfortunatly I have to say from my observations this is an up
hill battle.  Here's a little snapshot of what elementary school is like
around here....

Opening day of school-- the kids meet outdoors by tables of their
grade/class- they are filled with donuts and orange & apple juice.

As a reward for bringing home their weekly envelopes, they get candy.

They have fundraisers to gather up as many "boxtops for education" from
(mostly junk) cereals, with a few healthy exceptions... all gluten
laden.

Parties generally have sweet treats, but halloween they don't dispense
the stuff as they figure the kids will get plenty later-- although some
individual classes do have treats.

They used to have in class birthday parties individually, but this year
(in 5th grade) they sent home an announcement that because that
interrupts learning time, they will have just one big party for everyone
to celebrate all birthdays-on one day. WOW- maybe they can do something
like this @ YOUR school.

The parade of treats & less nutritionally sound food choices abound & I
don't even know where to begin to fix this situation. I am the one with
Celiac-Diabetes combo- neither of my 2 kids has presented with it (mine
presented @ age 38). But this lack of healthy food choices seem as
pervasive as gluten itself.

Pam-- I wrote you a loooong letter outlining steps you can take.
I guess the best advice is try to not make a bad situation worse. You
may be livid that the staff has blown it more than once, but try to
*keep it light* in her eyes.
That should not have happened & I will have to talk to the staff about
it.

I would not make it a casual conversation though (with the staff).....
request a formal meeting & the more administrative personnel the better.
Tell them specifically what they did wrong..... and offer specific
solutions of what they can do right.
The solution part is most important. What should they do?
What is unacceptable? How can they help smooth this out so Brit feels
like there is something besides food to participate in these classroom
parties?

It's possible the staff does everything right (in the future), and Brit
has days where she's just sick of it all. I know I do & I'm 40 years
old!

It's no wonder that kind of party would push a kid into mourning the
loss and grieving process. I've been to office events that made me feel
empty & left out because the focus is on the food- none of which is
gluten free, or diabetic friendly. It does take time, and finesse to
make sure your needs are met. She's been such a trooper- but she
deserves her time to be angry & resent these diseases-- she's got every
right. I hope you do get her the nerf bat & let her release those
feelings. They are real, and need to be processed.
It's healthy to have a good cry and say this is unfair..... it really
is!


I wonder if it would be helpful to do up a one page outline of what is
prohibited & how many carbs per meal & invite them to actually do this
diet for ONE day. Walk a mile in this girls' path & then let's talk. If
they think you are being excessive, let's see them walk the walk! It's
very hard, restrictive and demanding. The staff does not only need to be
more sensitive to this, but take extra steps to make it more comfortable
for her- or any other student that has a special need.

Communication is key here- I KNOW it's a drag to have to forge the way,
but I'm sure many who follow behind will really appreciate all you have
done.

 Hang in there!
Keep us posted on how this goes~

Fran