Kids' spring allergies make the season not all good things to all people.
Spring must be here. How do I know? The marching band plant sale is this week, my kids are starting to study for finals, and - oh, yes - every wastebasket in my house is full of scrunched up, used tissues.
I feel so sorry for kids with spring allergies. Spring is supposed to be full of anticipation of the end of school, the excitement of bringing the shorts and flip-flops to the forefront of the closet, and riding around with the car windows open.
Instead, we've closed up our house like Fort Knox and stocked up on Tylenol, eye drops, Benedryl and Allegra. I can't help but feel a little bit guilty when I get excited about seeing the trees budding and our neighbors mowing their lawns. Those things mean something very different to my kids, who suffer from allergies.
Suite 101 writer Venice Kichura offers some helpful advice to spring allergy sufferers in her article "Coping With Spring Allergies." If your child suffers from seasonal allergies, be sure to have his medication refilled and check expirations on inhalers and medicine, even over-the-counter products.
Be particularly sensitive to your school-age children and their performance in school. At this time of year, with state standardized testing, end-of-year projects due, and the dreaded finals, allergies and the medicine kids take to keep them at bay, can affect their academic performance.
Experts suggest parents be sure their children drink plenty of water, eat healthily, get lots of rest, and stay indoors as much as possible, at least until the season settles down.
