Update: Quaker has apologized. However, I will still choose not to support them for now.
An article came across my Facebook news feed the other day. It was on BuzzFeed and looked to be authored by Quaker (or at least was being used to promote the Quaker products). It was posted on Quaker's Facebook page, so even if the article was not from their marketing department directly, it was endorsed by their company Facebook page and was being used to advertise their products.
This article listed 50 Thoughts Every Mom Has at Snack Time. You can read it on the website at BuzzFeed.
The article begins by detailing a mom's inner thoughts as she tries to prepare an after-school snack for her kids. Here's a screen shot of the first part of the article:
Really? These are the thoughts that run through every mom's mind during snack time? These thoughts have NEVER crossed my mind and I can say for certain that my sweet friends never entertain these thoughts.
My kids have life-threatening food allergies. Feeding us is like a chemistry experiment gone horribly wrong. I have a hard time finding safe and healthy snacks for us and I know my friends do as well.
However, my friends treat us graciously. They ask me what is safe for my kids and go above and beyond to accommodate us. They encourage me to bring my own food and they commit to only feeding their children safe foods while mine are nearby.
I know this is not the case with everyone. Some people are incredibly inconvenienced by our food allergies. Others are downright rude to us about it.
Well, I'm not sorry that my child's life threatening medical condition makes your life slightly more challenging. I AM incredibly sorry that my kids have to navigate a world where people and even companies treat them as second-class citizens, making them out to be nothing more than an incredible inconvenience and the butt of many jokes.
Shame on the author of this article. The statement, "I mean, I like her, but come on" is beyond offensive. This insinuates that we should only be friends with those who are just like us. Forget those who have various challenges, they are not worth befriending. No, only like people who are don't have any type of difficulty.
I guess this means that we can't be friends with those who have cancer or other serious medical conditions, are handicapped, have emotional struggles, or have learning challenges. I mean, come on, those people are difficult to be around sometimes! Heaven forbid that I have to exhibit some grace and compassion, I mean, that's just so time consuming for my very busy self!
Absolutely not. This kind of self-centered thinking is the problem - not the sweet kids and courageous families who are faced with incredible challenges.
These are not the thoughts of EVERY mom at snack time. No, I'm thankful to report that a few gracious, kind, compassionate souls still exist. I know, for they are my friends. They help me advocate for my children with their allergies and they are quick to sacrifice for our safety.
I will not be supporting this company in the future. I hope they apologize and show a little compassion and humility. Maybe with some phone calls they can be educated about the severity of food allergies. I urge you to contact them at this number and share your thoughts on this article with them: 1-800-367-6287
