I think some parents are afraid of bullying from either parents or other kids. It's kinda like an open door to letting others know what your personal kryptonite is, kwim?
Is it sad that I am less afraid of fights, violence, bullets, etc at school than I am of another child retaliating against mine by sprinkling crumbs in there food?
Yeah, my brain goes there.
Having said that - we are up front about our allergies and I am often called that mom. Shrug. Not a whole lot I can do about it. My kids are different and we have chosen to be vocal about it in an effort to change things.
I know the child was close mouthed to your child about his allergies but there is nothing saying that he is not open about it with those who might try to feed him (aka teachers, room parents, etc).
YES.
I also think that a lot depends upon personal sensitivity to the allergens, too.
That is, is it even concievable that this is a person for whom
casual exposure could kill? Because that's DD's reality.
We
have taught her that telling others
specifically what she is allergic to is an extension of significant trust. Because it is. You're trusting them to
believe you, and to
not be malicious in their ignorance, at the very least.
There are an
awful lot of people that think that a little bit won't hurt, and that we're exaggerating, or that-- well, something, anyway. All it takes is one of those people to decide that they are motivated to prove a point.
So yes, we've raised DD to be circumspect about the specific nature of her food allergies with others, most especially those that she doesn't know well enough to categorize. She
is handing that person the equivalent of a loaded gun. Best to have some indication that they aren't crazy enough to use it.