I'm a 21 year old mother of 3 from Australia who has always tried to do the best by her kids.
My son is celiac & is also lactose intolerent to boot.
He has just started school & taking other childerns food. I can understand why as he has 50 other kids sitting out in the playground eating lollies at Recess & he is the only child who is not allowed to have them in his lunch box.
The teacher is now getting angry with him & is putting him on detention at lunch times.
Nothing anyone does is stopping this behaviour. It has been a problem to some degree for years now. He resents the fact other people get things & he dosen't.
I have been told by a therapest that this is he way of dealing with stress.
I understand the behaviour but does anyone have any ideas on how to stop it before my son gets suspended.
Thanks
Kara
Well, frankly I'm shocked. Suspension and detention of 5 year olds, for whatever reason is way too heavy handed, especially since your son is struggling with his special situation. And, I dont think children should be allowed to take lollies to school in the first place, healthy eating in children being such a huge concern at the moment. The school needs a good kick in the behind! This would be an issue I would certainly take to my local government, schools need to encourage good nutrition in young kids.
The first thing that occurs to me is a support system for your son and his particular need. Is there anything offered by your doctor? He obviously feels singled out and that life isnt fair, and he sounds as though his life is centered around what he can and cant eat. If he could meet others like himself it might make him feel less alone.
I dont know anything about celiac, or lactose intolerance, but I cant give my son any sweets, and some other things hes sensitive to, so I have to think of other things for treats. When he was small I would give him little packets of dried fruit, they are naturally very sweet and my son loved them. Grapes, strawberries and starfruit also go down well. Some of his friends are quite envious of his inventive lunches!
Does your son understand that the things he wants will make him poorly? Maybe he would respond to the idea that those things arent good for ANYONE, and those poor children eating them a lot will get bad teeth and might be unhealthy because of their diet.
Do your other kids get to have treats he cant have? If so, perhaps they could have them in secret, or not have them at all. I dont give sweets to my second son either, even though hes fine eating them. My view is that if one cant have them, neither can, since they arent a necessity, and they both enjoy fruit and other things anyway. I understand this wont work with lactose and gluten products in your families case, but I was thinking about the treats more than anything, since that is what kids want most.
I'm truly sorry your little boy is having a hard time at such a young age. I think his teacher is a cow to get so mad at him, they should have more imaginitive and effective strategies than getting angry and giving detention.
He is not "stealing" and should not be punished. Calling it "stealing" is unfair and unjust. I would take him to another school, or no school at all. He should be in an environment where other kids don't eat unhealthy junk, and he should be supported with his special diatery needs.
I have one child with serious allegries, so basically the whole family is on his diet, which is very healthy anyway. Protect him from exposure to food that isn't good for him. Don't expect him to resist the temtation. That's too much to expect. It is our duty to give him an environment that supports his health.
