Your child’s food allergies may be causing him or her to have low self esteem. Children want to fit in with their peers, and be as similar as possible to them. Having a severe food allergy means that your child is “different”, and this will be noticed by his or her classmates. Fortunately, there are things that a parent can do that will help their allergic child to regain his or her self esteem.
Children, especially older children (like middle schoolers and high school students) want to fit in. No one wants to be that strange kid who can’t eat the same food as everyone else. It can make a child who has a severe food allergy feel different in a negative way, and that can lead to low self esteem. There are some situations that can take place in your child’s school environment that can make things worse.
All children will get picked on from time to time, for different reasons. It is entirely possible that your child is getting picked on because of his or her food allergies. Kids that are sick a lot, and who have made several emergency trips to the hospital due to allergies, can feel bad about themselves. Their self esteem takes another hit when the kids in their school tease or bully them about their allergies.
If this is happening to your child, there are several things a parent can do. Younger children, who are in first or second grade, may feel comfortable with having their parent come to the school to meet with their teachers. Its possible that the teachers are unaware of the teasing that has been going on. Pointing it out to them could be a way to stop it from continuing, because the teachers will now know to watch out for that.
Older kids aren’t going to feel great about having their mom come to school for them. If your child is a high school or junior high student, it may be best to meet with the principal when school is not in session. A phone call can work.
The United States Department of Agriculture has made regulations that state that schools have to make substitutions of foods in the “free lunches” for students who have a disability that restricts their diets. Food allergies that can result in death should meet the definition of “disability” in this case.
Make sure your child’s school is offering a safe lunch to your child. Being able to stand in line with the rest of the kids, and pick up a school lunch, can be another way to help your child feel more “normal”. Another option is to make your child’s lunch with items that look so tasty that the other kids will wish their moms made their lunches like you do for your child. This should stop the teasing about being unable to eat certain foods.
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