Embracing Social Outings, Our Way
Fall was a busy time for us to practice embracing social outings & managing our 4 year old's diet. We went to our kid's first Fall Festival at preschool, which included a bake sale. We decided to take the opportunity to participate with the bake sale by making cupcakes that our kid could eat, as well as anybody else there with special diet needs or a curiosity about the "hypo-allergenic" goodies! In preparation, we also wrote up an ingredient list to be visible with the cupcakes, so any one with questions could easily see what was in them.
We went into the event only expecting to "sell" a cupcake to our kid & maybe one other child we knew had allergies. The next morning, we were pleasantly surprised to hear that ALL the cupcakes sold & even had compliments. That was extremely encouraging for us. And the best part, of course, was seeing our kiddo enjoy all aspects of the event!
The next event we attended was a great moment for our kid to share. We went to a hay ride & bonfire gathering that included pot luck dishes for dinner/dessert. We had heard of another family attending that recently found out that their sons also needed to be on a special diet with some of the same "no-no" foods. We made another batch of the cupcakes & took them, making sure to let the parents know what was in them. While it's hard to hear of anyone else having to deal with diet restrictions, it felt good that we could actually share some of our food & not just be bringing it for our kid. Our kiddo was so excited about others being able to eat some of their food that they insisted on telling the other children about the cupcakes & was delighted when seeing them being inhaled.
I must say my proudest moment was the last birthday party we attended. The cake was put down at toddler level with all the kids crowding around wanting to see & be the first to grab some - once the obligatory singing was done. It was a highly grab-able worthy cake, too! I, very anxiously, stood back deciding to give our kiddo some more independence. Wondering how they'd react with me not in line-of-sight, but staying where I could react quickly if needed.
They showed a marvelous amount of restraint, kept hands clasping each other in front of their belly the whole time! They did not even try to reach out to touch the cake, even when the hostess said the kids could take off & eat the decorative frosting figures on top. Later, when several adults offered kiddo some of the "forbidden" cake & ice cream, they quickly replied, " No thank you. I have a special diet." I couldn't have been more proud of them than I was in those moments. I can only hope that it lasts for their health's sake.
