Dear parents and educators,

This week I re-enrolled my son back into public school. It has been a long nine months of searching for answers to his chronic stomach pain which often left him unable to even get out of bed some days, causing us to withdraw him from public school. We went from healthcare professional to healthcare professional searching for answers. After many months of waiting, we were finally able to see a pediatric G.I. specialist. Then there were more months of waiting, and tests after tests. Now, the final diagnosis is that he does not have enough digestive enzymes to process dairy and sugar.

Why am I writing this? Because those doctors did not do anything to help us. One nurse practitioner even told us that we were doing him a disservice by not allowing him to eat junk food, candy, and Chito‘s like his friends and classmates. It turns out that all of that stuff is what was part of the problem. 

I’m writing this to bring your attention to the food you’ll be packing in your kids lunches, the food they might be eating provided by school lunches, and sweet treats that teachers will be choosing to give out because it’s so easy to reward kids with candy, right? Teachers, you don’t have to choose candy as a treat. Kids would love stickers, bookmarks, and other things like inexpensive bulk buy rewards from amazon, The 99 cent store, or oriental trading company. We owe it to our kids to teach them that what they eat plays a direct part in how they learn and perform. We owe it to our kids to teach them how to make healthy choices and create  healthy habits. 

I will be posting ideas on my blog page of things I plan to pack for my son‘s lunch that do not contain highly processed, sugar loaded, prepackaged foods. Feel free to follow along at Blind Mom in the Burbs. I have also offered to our elementary school principal to teach an in person course for parents, their kids, and teachers. I have spent this last year dedicating my time to studying health and wellness and became a certified health coach, specifically to work with families. I do not enjoy the virtual experience, so I apologize to those of you who do not live in the Las Vegas area. If anyone has an interest in attending and in person class, I would be happy to set something up for your family, a small group, or your school. You can reach me by emailing Terri.rupp@gmail.com.

I am also open to traveling, if your school,  organization, or company has an interest in learning how to take health into your own hands instead of waiting for the healthcare system. Unfortunately, the healthcare system is not always helpful, and often takes way too long.

 I am not a healthcare professional, simply somebody who is taking a proactive approach to my families health, and the health of those who want to follow along. 

A concerned parent,

Terri