Horse went to a birthday party for one of her friends. As the normally overprotective, paranoid parent that I am, I stayed for the duration of the party. I know that, in theory, nine- and ten-year-olds can probably survive just fine at a party with a few adults keeping order, but I am still unwilling to go along with just dropping my kid off if a party takes place someplace other than at someone's house.
As is to be expected with a kid's party where there are dozens of kidlets running amok, it was pandemonium at times. The kids were yelling, running, popping balloons left and right, and generally having a blast. Horse was right in there with them. The parents who threw this particular party were at least smart in the types of games and challenges they planned, so there were actual times when the kidlets were calm, quiet, and concentrating on a given task. I made a couple of mental notes to keep those particular games and challenges in mind when I am tasked with throwing a party for my own kidlets.
For the most part, I did what I could to stay present but out of the way. Chaos is not a friend of mine, and I do try to avoid it as much as possible. However, I did wind up playing an unexpected role in the midst of the party atmosphere.
Horse has been friends with the birthday girl since kindergarten, so we have been invited to a number of birthday parties where we see a bunch of similar faces from years before. One particular family was familiar to me because I had spent a few hours last year discussing food allergies with them. Their preschool-age son has severe food allergies that are very similar to Rooster's, including both dairy and egg. That little boy also reacts by having GI issues, with his reaction to milk products being almost immediate vomiting. Having been there, done that with Rooster, we had a lot about which we could commiserate.
Today, I happened to notice that little boy walking away from the food table with his tongue hanging out of his mouth, and he looked as if he was about to be sick. His mother immediately herded him outside. I asked his father if the little boy was okay, and he said his son was having an allergic reaction. I told him I had liquid Benadryl on me at all times if they needed it for their son, but he said he hoped his son would just throw up the offending food and feel better. His mother came in shortly thereafter and was looking for her car keys so she could get Benadryl (which had been left in their car) for him. I immediately volunteered what I had, which she took and then went to give it to her son.
Once her son was on the mend, that mother thanked me for the Benadryl and said she was worried about how long it might have taken her to get it out of the car. She did have her son's EpiPen on her, but like most parents (or so I would imagine), she was hesitant to use it unless absolutely necessary. Giving a three- or four-year old a shot of adrenaline is not something you do lightly.
We talked a lot about food allergies after that. We compared notes about what treatments our kidlets' allergists have us doing, and talked about our hopes that this, too, shall pass. We discussed how social situations are actually the most challenging things to deal with when food is involved, even when we as parents are exceptionally vigilant. This little boy today knew he was not supposed to eat anything at that food table. He saw another child pick up some popcorn and eat it, and for some unknown reason decided to do the same thing. Kidlets just do things like that sometimes. Unfortunately, the popcorn had some cheese flavoring on it, which immediately made him sick. Thankfully, his parents were both present and could take charge of the situation, and did have the necessary medical supplies, even if the Benadryl in my bag was a bit closer.
That was a scary situation today, and I am glad the little boy did not seem to suffer any long-term effects from his allergic reaction. Within just a few minutes of taking his dose of Benadryl, he was much improved and asking his parents for his allergy-safe cupcake. (That quick reaction time, by the way, is why I only carry the liquid form of that particular allergy medicine. It starts working immediately. There is no wait time for the outer capsule to dissolve, you can dose differently depending on the age and weight of the person having the allergic reaction, and I have personally found that it provides immediate relief for a throat that is starting to constrict. It's kind of hard to swallow a pill if your throat is swelling shut. To have to wait even longer for the medicine to start working could be deadly. In theory, that is where an EpiPen would need to come into play, too.)
At least the rest of the kidlets at that birthday party seemed blissfully unaware of the allergy drama taking place in their midst. The adults who were involved might have been shaking a bit, but no one had to deal with the panic of controlling thirty-ish kidlets if 9-1-1 had to be called. Thankfully, that phone call was unnecessary.
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