A new gluten free year starts!

There is always a lot to prepare at the beginning of a new school year. The parent in charge of back-to-school organizing might quickly go from relief that the summer of rowdy children is ending, to being overwhelmed with the large list of to-dos and the short amount of time to get that list done!

All us harried parents hit the same rush at our local target; fighting though isles, grabbing number two pencils, erasers, scissors, folders, crayola markers, crayons, colored pencils, earphones and zip drives!?! We try to find the right prices, since it adds up, and then we come home and label, figure out what we forgot, and start all over again. We hit the fist open house and deal with the first day rush and jitters. Figure out our new lines in the mornings and the new spots to meet at the end of school.

Having a daughter with Celiacs Disease usually means having a bit extra stacked on my plate. It is no longer just the school supply list, new meeting spot after school and an open house. Now it is time to meet a new teacher and come up with a new plan to approach my daughter’s alternative dietary needs. I need to know that I can make the classroom a safe environment for my daughter. For me there is a lot of anxiety trying to delicate balance with the new teacher relationship good with clear communication while imposing the seriousness of Beezus’s eating restrictions, needs, and routines. I need to be able to educate the teacher, provide her with resources and support. I need to hope that she will support me as well.

Here are some strategies I am utilizing and constantly adjusting to work with school staff:

•Introduce myself at the open house, being open and frank about CD – Beezus’s teacher may as well know the fist night that her and I will be talking often.
•Emailing a pre-fabricated letter addressing what CD is, where gluten can be found, and what the complications are from gluten ingestion. A good educational resource.
•Provide a list of alternative snacks – gives the teacher and the other parents a resource to work with in planning out snack and treats. I prefer to only give information for pre-packaged snacks to reduce the risk of cross contamination.
•Turn in the appropriate paper work to the school – a doctor’s signature will validate the diagnosis and encourages the school to take the diagnosis seriously.
•I have a freezer full of cupcakes needing only frosting for last minute birthday treats – I always hope I will be lucky enough to get a call letting me know there will be a birthday celebration.
•I drop off a bag of prepackaged treats at the school. Beezus has learned to rely on the teacher having a supply of Hershey’s candy bars. It relieves her of anxiety and reassures me she will not be handed anything she can not eat.
•I stress to the teacher and my daughter that she needs to wash her hands before she eats and she needs to eat over a clean napkin.

Though forming a working relationship with the teacher can be difficult at times – it is the most important to-do on my list every year. Good communication and understanding with the school is imperative. After I complete my to-do list, I cross my fingers and send my daughter to school hoping that she is careful and her teacher is supporting our efforts!