It's Olympic Day--and Mom's Got Her Cell Phone On

Today is my daughter's Olympic Day at school. Her entire class travels by bus to a nearby school in order to compete in outdoor sporting events.

It's a fun, fun day but of course I'm just a little bit on edge. First of all, there's the bus ride. Who had peanut butter for breakfast? I don't wanna know.

Then, there's the assumption that the nurse and teacher brought my daughter's medication with them. My daughter has participated in Olympic Day since kindergarten and I've called each year to make sure they've got it covered.

The other big issue--the kids are asked to bring a "bag lunch." There is no refrigeration, so one guess what a lot of them bring? You got it. Peanut butter. So of course I wonder how that's going to go. According to the nurse, they even segregate the peanut-allergic kids at lunch time, just like in the caf. So that's good enough for me. And at this stage, my daughter is used to having special treatment at lunch, so it doesn't seem to bother her.

I've become a known quantity to the school, which has helped them get organized with regard to food allergies and field trips. Last year, the school nurse told me she was waiting for my call and so had all the info ready for me. The teacher was waiting for my call. They even sent a note home to reassure me. This year, I didn't call (my daughter has the same teacher as last year, since she's in a multi-age classroom) so I guess you could say the school has earned my trust. Still, I've got the cell phone attached to my body in case.

I don't plan to spend the day freaking out or anything--don't get me wrong. In fact, these events are probably good for me (as well as being a lot of fun for my daughter). From time to time, every parent of a food-allergic child (and let's face it, every parent in the world) has to make that leap of faith and trust that their child will be OK.

Maybe when Olympic Day is over, I can celebrate with that other ancient Greek tradition--a nice glass of wine.