To Blog or not to blog. . .

That is the question.

I started this blog with the hope of reaching out to other parents, who, like me, struggle to raise their special needs children. I tend to blog only when inspired, which usually means that someone or some corporation has ticked me off.

I have noticed that I get about 100 page hits every time I write a new blog entry. Discounting my 10 or so faithful friends and maybe 5 relatives, that means I have about 85 avid readers. I need more.

At this rate, to reach my goal of 1 million hits, I'm going to have to write nearly 1,000 more entries. So I had better get cracking.

Today's topic: $10,000 birthday parties, $25,000 bat mitzvahs and hedge fund managers, who make $1.4 million per hour spending other people's money. I must be in the wrong profession.

My son wanted to go to Chuck E. Cheese for his birthday. I wanted to arrange a zoo party where his friends and classmates could get an educational experience, while having fun at the party. I considered the following options:

• $350 and up for a Chuck E. Cheese party for 20-30 kids - where consequently my food-allergic son would have to eat his dinner in the car.
• $400 - $600 for a party at the zoo, depending on whether I ponied up for the other kids' parents to enter the zoo as well.
• $325 tax deductible donation for the Zoo Mobile to come to our son's school and give a fun and educational demonstration complete with live animals.

Guess which option I chose. The in-school party required no invitations, I did not have to worry about RSVPs, I spent less than $100 more for zoo-related crafts and goodie bags, pizza delivery and Sam's club cupcakes, and my son, who ran and hid when they brought out the corn snake, happily ate his GFCF lunch with his friends.

So what about these $10,000 birthday parties? I doubt the party pictures were any cuter than my son on video running from the snake and I could help dozens of special needs children through my ministries with that kind of money.

Most special needs parents learn very quickly to choose the least stressful and in many cases the least expensive option. I do worry about money, but I will always choose the tax deductible option, even if it means more money. The kids have fun no matter what.

Why don't these parents rent out their zoo or local aquarium and invite underprivileged or special needs children to the party. The parents get a big fat tax write-off and their children get a wonderful lesson in learning about others, while having a great time. It's no different than spending Thanksgiving at a soup kitchen, instead of sitting down to a 10-course meal at a 5-star hotel.

I'm preaching to the choir. The $10,000-party parents aren't the ones reading my blog and neither is the $3 billion per year hedge fund manager. If you are reading, please make a sizable donation to Lifeover Ministries.

As for my faithful followers, send me some inspiration. I still have 999 more blogs to write before I reach my 1 million-hit goal.

Nianya

The Americans with Disabilities Act

covers food allergies.

So why does Chuck E Cheese prohibit outside food other than cake, cupcakes and ice cream?

PROFIT: Pure and Simple!!!!

Their response to my inquiry:

"The only outside food we can allow inside is cake and ice-cream. This is a policy and there are no exceptions. Again, it is a healthy code violation to allow guests to bring in any other outside foods.

If the food allergy does not allow the guest to consume any items on our menu, we recommend the guest eat before they come to the restaurant.

Thank you, Guest Relations"

If allowing only outside foods, such as cakes and ice cream, which encourage parents to host expensive birthday parties at their facilities, isn't profit based discrimination, then I don't know what is.

They could ban all outside food and I would have no argument.

I THINK NOT: Banning cake and ice cream from their birthday parties would not be a very good profit making decision.

So I am left with a choice: feed my child before his party or host the party elsewhere.

Monkey Joes here we come!

Nianya

There is no fury like a Special Needs Mother . . .

whose child is denied access or turned away do to his/her disability.

Whether the child's disability is highly visible or not, there is nothing worse than being asked to leave a restaurant, play place or other commercial establishment, merely because they cannot accomodate your child's special needs.

For the first few years of our son's life, we avoided birthday parties and play dates, because of his food allergies. We didn't feel that it was fair to expose our son to birthday cake and pizza etc . . . when he could not eat them.

During the past two years, however, we have gradually learned that it's okay to take him out. We just bring his food with us and bring him a sweet treat in lieu of the cake.

Sometimes we get funny looks from the waiters when we order our own food and I either take his homemade food out of his bag or give him a GFCF Happy Meal (plain burger with plain apples). Once we explain his allergies, they are usually very helpful and understanding.

Today, I ran up against a brick wall. . .

a manager at Chuck-E-Cheese, who refused to allow us to bring in our son's GFCF Happy Meal, even without the bag, so that he could eat dinner with his friends during his own 6th birthday party. Never mind that we spent BIG BUCKS on tokens and food for everyone else. Our son had to leave the party and go out to our car to eat his dinner.

When I explained his allergies to the manager, he was unsympathetic and said that everyone would start claiming food allergies just so they could bring in their own food. I think not.

No one wants to be allergic to half the food on the planet.

I'm very grateful that my son was so hungry by that point that he didn't think twice about going outside to eat. Most 6-year-olds would have thrown a fit. I would like to say that next time I go there, they will be more accomodating, but it's going to be a very cold day before we go back.

Nianya