I didn't do much to celebrate my kids half birthdays growing up, but for Scootch I made an exception. For his 18 month birthday I bought him a Med-Alert bracelet. Who knew that a small bit of piece of mind only cost $32?
As much as I felt that him being only 18 months old would protect him for the most part from being fed anything without my permission, I figured the bracelet would serve as an additional safeguard to remind some loving and well meaning relatives who have a tendency to forget the super vigilance his food allergies require. And to my pleasant surprise, the bracelet has had another slightly unexpected effect; public awareness. I mean, this boy has flirted with the public in general since he figured out how to smile, so its only natural they would also notice the little bit of "bling" he sports on his left wrist. And a simple explanation of the bracelet's purpose has opened up all kinds of discourse from perfect strangers; from empathy, to pity, to recipe and restaurant recommendations for allergy friendly venues.
Looks like the free enrollment into the Online Medical Registry wasn't the only bonus to getting him the Med-Alert tag. :-)
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