Sweethearts Candy Blog's

When I first learned of my daughter's peanut and tree nut allergy, she was not yet old enough to join Girl Scouts. However, that didn't stop me from wondering and worrying about it. I loved Girl Scouts and figured she might want to join someday. But, when you think of Girl Scouts, what's the first thing that comes to mind? COOKIES! And as a former Girl Scout myself, I knew for a fact that some of those cookies would be loaded with peanut butter.

At the time I think I placed the whole Girl Scout question on a shelf to be worried about at a later date. But in my gut, I was thinking, no way! How can I have my daughter running around promoting and selling peanut butter cookies? Isn't that going to send her a mixed message? Well as it turns out, no.

As I've learned more about food allergies, I realize that every activity has its pros and cons. I definitely don't want my daughter to miss out on fun or educational opportunities, simply due to her allergy.

So when one of her best friends asked my daughter to join her Girl Scout Troop, I was all for it. I was fortunate in that the Brownie leaders were very open to learning about my daughter's allergy. In fact, one of the leaders is a Registered Nurse (I had no idea when I joined. Super lucky, wouldn't you say?) and had no problem taking on the EpiPen Challenge, as I've come to call it. Each meeting, the leaders choose a "safe" food and on occasion, I've brought a home-baked treat for a party. It's all good.

My advice: don't say no to something until you find out all the details. There will be times when the risk does outweigh the benefits, but don't assume that from the outset. I'm so glad I didn't.