Peanut Allergy: Sometimes the Stars Align...

So it's summer time soon.  Less than two months until I have a (are you ready for it?)...

THIRD GRADER.

GAH!

So, as you know I am a working mom.  I am SO lucky though, because I get to work at home 3 days a week.  I head into my office one day a week. During the year we have all sorts of creative ways of making sure B has after school care.  We have Nana's (not nannies, NANA's) that help, thank God!  But I also do work early in the morning or later at night after she's asleep so I can be there at the door after school.  Some days (like the day I'm off) she's with me.  Anyways, we make it work.

So, where was I?  Oh yeah, summer. B's dad and I knew that we needed to find someone to help watch her over the summer.  She's just NOT into summer camp or activities this year and we're not gonna' fight it.

But where to start?  We put an ad on care.com (meh) and asked everyone we knew.  Nothing.

This is where the universe stepped in and gave me a gift.

I'm walking down the hall to my apartment and I see my new neighbor.  We hadn't really spoken - she goes to work pretty early - so we finally got a chance to talk. She's so sweet and has the MOST polite son (he's in Jr high and when I met him in the hall one day he introduced himself and shook my hand and was wonderful - frankly I was shocked - this lady is doing something right parenting-wise).  So we are talking and she tells me she has a daughter, who's away at college.  But she'll be home for the summer.

You know where this is going, right?

She's looking for a summer job as a BABYSITTER!

OOOO  MMMMM  GGGGG.

I ended up talking to her on the phone and she sounds so sweet, the hours work for her, etc. etc.

WIN-WIN!

And then today she comes to meet us in person (me, B's dad, and B).  Gotta' make sure she didn't have facial tattoos or piercings!  (Not that there's anything wrong with that, mind you, but frankly that's the LAST thing I want B asking for when she's 7.)

So how did it go?

Well, B loves her - hugged her when she left.  B's dad and I like her A LOT too.

But back to the 'interview'.

She was super polite, and cute, and nice, and we talked about school and the kinds of things B likes to do. And we're chatting about B and I hesitantly bring up that she has a peanut allergy.  I'm thinking, this is going to scare her off.  People are either ok with it, or you get that look, like a deer in the headlights, accompanied by the sound of crickets.

So we brace ourselves.

This is what she says:  "Oh, my brother is allergic to peanuts, tree nuts, milk, wheat and eggs."  She then goes on to tell me about the multiple times her brother has been in the hospital, stories of anaphylaxis and epis, and the trouble of eating out due to cross contamination.

Uh, excuse me?  Beg your pardon?

My jaw = floor.

In that moment, in my head, I said "Yes!".  You know why I said it!!! Not because this poor kid has all those allergies. I'm the Peanut Free Mama, people!

I said "Yes!"  in my head because I don't even need to explain how this works to her.  She 'gets it'.   I swear I almost hi-fived her right there.  We're team food allergy now right!?!?  Woohooo!

Needless to say, she starts the week after school ends.

See how everything has a way of working out?

Now I can exhale.

Gabs

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