Page 124 - The Ultimate Guidebook for Teens with Food Allergies

you, is a great attitude to have. This attitude can really help you balance safety with living a normal teenage life.
Aside from accepting your allergies as a part of you, being confident with your food allergies also comes with gains in knowledge and practice when it comes to dealing with different situations. Learning what you can about allergies, researching and planning ahead for new situations, and being open and straightforward about your allergies will be helpful when it comes to building your confidence.
When things go right
Learning the Hard Way, by Emily Rose
When I was in grade eight, I went to my first baseball game with my school. Before I went, my mom had talked to my teachers about my allergy. They decided it would be best to make me sit beside my teacher. My mom tried to prepare me with a lot of disinfectant before I went. I realized I was not prepared when we arrived. There were peanuts everywhere! My friends did not end up sitting beside me because I was with the teacher. I felt very alone and scared. To get through being scared, I just had to have confidence in myself and my abilities. I was very careful about what I touched and I did not eat anything. In the end, it all turned out okay. And now I know the severity of the situations I can handle alone.
Accepting my Allergies, by Karen
I am a pretty outgoing person and I love to meet new people whenever I get the chance to. Entering university gave me the opportunity to meet so many new people and make new friends. Because I have a severe allergy, I knew this was also the opportunity to bring up my allergies early in friendships so there were no surprises later on. I was confident enough to introduce myself to new people and bring up my allergies as soon as I could (whether it was at a party or during a meal). The responses were reassuring.
For example, a friend of mine told me a story the other day about my food allergies. She was eating a peanut butter granola bar at her own house and there were crumbs on the floor. For some reason, she felt the need to pick up every little crumb off the floor in case I stepped on it and “decided to lick my foot” when I came over. This humorous example is a bit over the top, but the moral of the story here is that, even when I am not around, my friends are cautious about my allergies because I was confident enough to tell them about my allergies early on in our friendships.
Treat your Allergies the way you want Others to Treat your Allergies, by Harrison
I'm a 17 year old who is allergic to eggs, dairy, soy, seafood, nuts, apples, pears, and cherries. That's 8 things. And, when you count smaller foods that everyone ELSE can have such as candy (Halloween), cake