The Soft Pretzel

Last year, we had all sorts of problems with the YMCA camp, mostly to do with E's allergies. They left his EpiPen at the pool, a mile away. They didn't take it with him when they walked to the park. One time, they forced him to eat a snack, saying that he was being disrespectful to the camp counselor by telling her that he was allergic and couldn't eat their snacks.

This year, he's back at the Y, but at a different location. The staff is well aware of who we are, and their EpiPen and allergy policy has been completely revamped.

E had a great week at camp, but today he came running up to me when he got home today, saying, "Mommy! They forced me to eat a soft pretzel at camp!"

My jaw dropped, and I became irate as he told me how they forced him to eat it, even when he stomped his foot and said that he was allergic. He was very animated as he relayed how he told them that he couldn't eat their snacks, but they just told him to "chew, chew, chew!"

I asked him what Daddy said, and Jay told me that he pulled over and stopped the van because he was so mad.

E's PCA was with him today, but E told me that he hadn't seen what happened. I told E that he has to tell his PCA immediately when something like that happens. Nick walked in at that point, and I started going off about how they forced E to eat the pretzel, telling him to just chew it up.

Nick said that E hadn't told him that.

E then admitted that they hadn't actually put it in his mouth or told him to chew it up. I asked him why he'd told me that, and he said that he didn't know.

Meanwhile, Nick was on the phone with the camp director. I could hear him calmly and firmly telling her about the dangers of cross-contamination, especially with E being so allergic to sesame seeds, and about really having no clue what's in the pretzels, and how they can't just assume that they're flour, yeast, and salt.

When he got off the phone, he told me that E did eat a soft pretzel...but only after he asked for it! He asked, they figured that it was okay because it didn't have nuts in it, and they gave it to him!

Granted, they shouldn't have given it to him, and his PCA should have seen it and stopped it, but I cannot believe that he totally made the whole thing up about them forcing him to eat it, based on something that he remembered from a year ago!

That child never ceases to amaze me. I'm amazed by his memory, by his ceaseless ability to create drama, and by the fact that I can never, ever let my guard down with him or believe anything he says! As crazy as he makes me, I am really, really impressed with his memory. :)

 

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