Thanksgiving

Being a parent to a child with food allergies is always tough but on holidays it's even harder. Coming from a large family, the holidays have always been a big to do. Lots of food, lots of wine and lots of laughter. As a child i loved the holidays, even though our close knit family found reasons to get together often. One of the things I looked forward to most as a child on Thanksgiving was the nut bowl. I loved my aunts unique cracker and me and my cousins always fought over who got to use the nut cracker first. After we fought over the nuts we would o to the appetizer table, load our fingers with black olives and chase each other around the house. For the last ten years it's been one of the days of the year I dread. I have always tried to opt out or find excuses not to attend much to my dismay. How can I sit there and eat and watch everyone eat while my son can't eat any of it. Or see all the children playing with their food, talking about how good it is or even worst ask my aunt to do away with something she has been doing since I was just a thought in my parents mind, the notorious nut bowl. The one time I went to a family thanksgiving I made Kyle food at home, some vegetables and rice(all he can eat really) and brought it with us. The entire time I was there I was thinking if he would get sick with all the food around him or if he was ok seeing everyone eat and not him. I think I aged ten years that day. Since then we make two dinners at home, like most nights, and invite just our parents. I try to plan our meal around the foods he can eat. Turkey of course is the main event with lots of vegetables and bread. Kyle can't eat turkey so we cooked him fried catfish as his main course. The questions begin, like very other time, when he sees a new food. Mom, what does turkey taste like? Is it good? Compare it to something I can eat. How do you explain what turkey tastes like to a child who has never ate meat? Even though we keep it low key the stress of the day feels like 100 lbs sitting on my shoulders. I spent more time wiping counters than I did actually cooking. Any contact with any of the foods Kyle is allergic to causes a severe reaction. One dreaded day down, only about 20 more to go!