Ep 233 Celiac Mom Author Ann Campanella
I’m thrilled to speak with Ann Campanella about her book Celiac Mom. Ann’s daughter was diagnosed at the age of 5 many years ago. Ann reflects on her struggles as a parent of a celiac. Her flair for story telling is often vivid and pulls at our heart strings. Being a parent of a celiac child, we often find ourselves very protective. This approach can take many forms, so each family’s story is different. Ann draws us in with the detail that I’m sure her daughter has long since forgotten, but stays with parents as they navigate these troubled waters. Ann talks about dealing with schools, choices of friends, and the good and bad about family vacations. You can find out more about Ann and order her book in either digital or paper form on her website or on Amazon. Ann is an accomplished author and shares more about her other works on her website as well. Links are also on her website to her various social media accounts.
Sue’s Websites and Social Media
Podcast https://acanadianceliacpodcast.libsyn.com
Podcast Blog – https://www.acanadianceliacblog.com
Email – acdnceliacpodcast@gmail.com
Celiac Kid Stuff – https://www.celiackidstuff.com
Baking Website – https://www.suesglutenfreebaking.com
Instagram – @suesgfbaking
YouTube – https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLUVGfpD4eJwwSc_YjkGagza06yYe3ApzL
Email – sue@suesglutenfreebaking.com
Other Podcast – Gluten Free Weigh In – https://glutenfreeweighin.libsyn.com
My Thoughts –
As I spoke with Ann, I reflected on many of the celiac families I’ve met over the years. The one constant is our determination to do the best for our celiac child or children. However, as is human nature, each family accomplishes this in different ways.
I distinctly remember preparing “speeches” I would give to other parents or teachers about the importance of Deanna’s food, only to rethink, pull back to gain a better perspective. I always had to think about how Deanna and her uniqueness would be perceived by her classmates and the adults around them. In my mind, I also had to forecast how I would be seen by those same people.
We’ve all met adults who might rub us the wrong way. Maybe they are too pushy, or too fanatical about something that’s a little out there. I often wondered about parents who were vegetarian feeding their children only vegetarian or vegan meals. Did the children understand the reasons they ate different from their friends? What were the motives of the parents – health? conforming to a family dynamic? And I always wondered what the children would choose, when they had the opportunity to choose for themselves.
It was important to me that my musings were not judgemental. After all, who was I to say that a particular eating style or diet is good or bad. This did make me wonder though, how our family was being perceived, or even judged by others. Yes, the diet was for medical purposes, but most people didn’t really understand what that meant, or the importance of it.
What I did learn being a celiac Mom was to have low expectations of the acceptance of our diet by others who had not been introduced to it before. At the time, I felt badly if Deanna wasn’t invited to a particular birthday party, but in hindsight, I realize she may not have been able to eat safely in that atmosphere. I see now that when people questioned my on my diet, I often took the opportunity as a teaching moment, but when someone showed reluctance towards Deanna’s diet, I often tried to turn the conversation positive, but pulled back on the “teaching”.
Being the parent of a celiac child is a bit of minefield. We have to work diligently to ensure our child’s food is safe, the child learns why they have to eat differently, and eventually how to advocate for themselves. We must do our best for our child, for our family, and we have to be seen to be always trying to set our children up for success in their diet and health. This is something all families strive to do, but for celiac parents, it’s just more complicated. I have always had an interest in celiac families and Ann’s is no different. Also, I love to hear the positive outcomes of all that work as a family.
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