When I read these threads (which seem to pop up monthly) about a poster complaining about how poorly they are being treated by third parties due to some circumstance involving their child whom is allergic to some product (sometimes peanuts, sometimes something else), I often think that we are witnessing a Factitious Disorder by Proxy, sometimes called Munchausen Syndrome by proxy.
It is a class of mental disorder in which a parent reports, exaggerates or simply makes up that their child has an illness or impairment such as an allergy, autism, depression, etc., in order to obtain attention or sympathy to themselves. In the more extreme forms the parent will actually cause injury to their child and then rush them to a hospital.
One constantly reads about how mental illness affects approximately one in four adults in the United States. Usually we think of more common problems such as depression or anxiety.
However, I bet that the number of Factitious Disorder by Proxy disorders is on the rise, in part due to the victim mentality that our society has created. It seems to me that more and more people are claiming to be a victim, and as such demand public sympathy, legal redress, monetary compensation, etc.
The victim mentality takes many forms, of course. Morbidly obese people frequently claim that the obesity is not their fault but is due to some factor beyond their control: thyroid, large bones, genetics, or simply fast-food restaurants for serving food loaded with calories and fat. Many others claim to be a victim due to discrimination or prejudice secondary to religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. I have read of people who cover themselves in tattoos and then whine about how they are victimize by not being hired for a job, etc.
We Big Brother fans recently enjoyed listening to Laura stating, in all seriousness, that she is hated by others due to her large breasts, saying Its not my fault I have large breasts (for you non-Big Brother fans: she had earlier admitted to having breast implants). She was making herself out as a victim.
Then, we have people whom claim to be a victim because third parties simply do not understand the burden they have to face due to their child having special needs. Such people will spend an inordinate amount of time complaining about how they have been victimized because other people simply will not recognize how ill their child is, or how their child is literally being exposed to a possibility of death.
I recognize that some children are highly allergic to peanuts. I am not saying that peanut allergies do not exist. I also am not denying that autism exists, or one of the other hundreds, nay, thousands of disorders that afflict this unhappy world.
I am saying that it is my opinion that many of these children do not have the affliction attributed to them by their parent, but that the parent is attempting to gain sympathy, etc. In some cases, of course, the parent is trying to obtain some type of monetary compensation, but mostly, I bet, it is to be portrayed as a victim or viewed in a sympathetic light.
Here, reading the original post, I am struck by the hysterical edge to the writing. My advice to the original poster is simple: if your child has a severe peanut allergy, do not take your child on an airline that serves peanuts. The airline was not exposing your child, you were.
After all, you did say that it was for a vacation. Hence you had choices. You already knew that Delta is one of those airlines that continue to serve peanuts on board. Rather than try to get Delta to conform to you, you should have either chosen another airline that is recognized for being peanut-free, or else chosen another form of transportation (such as driving). This was a nightmare of your making.
It is a class of mental disorder in which a parent reports, exaggerates or simply makes up that their child has an illness or impairment such as an allergy, autism, depression, etc., in order to obtain attention or sympathy to themselves. In the more extreme forms the parent will actually cause injury to their child and then rush them to a hospital.
One constantly reads about how mental illness affects approximately one in four adults in the United States. Usually we think of more common problems such as depression or anxiety.
However, I bet that the number of Factitious Disorder by Proxy disorders is on the rise, in part due to the victim mentality that our society has created. It seems to me that more and more people are claiming to be a victim, and as such demand public sympathy, legal redress, monetary compensation, etc.
The victim mentality takes many forms, of course. Morbidly obese people frequently claim that the obesity is not their fault but is due to some factor beyond their control: thyroid, large bones, genetics, or simply fast-food restaurants for serving food loaded with calories and fat. Many others claim to be a victim due to discrimination or prejudice secondary to religion, race, gender, sexual orientation, etc. I have read of people who cover themselves in tattoos and then whine about how they are victimize by not being hired for a job, etc.
We Big Brother fans recently enjoyed listening to Laura stating, in all seriousness, that she is hated by others due to her large breasts, saying Its not my fault I have large breasts (for you non-Big Brother fans: she had earlier admitted to having breast implants). She was making herself out as a victim.
Then, we have people whom claim to be a victim because third parties simply do not understand the burden they have to face due to their child having special needs. Such people will spend an inordinate amount of time complaining about how they have been victimized because other people simply will not recognize how ill their child is, or how their child is literally being exposed to a possibility of death.
I recognize that some children are highly allergic to peanuts. I am not saying that peanut allergies do not exist. I also am not denying that autism exists, or one of the other hundreds, nay, thousands of disorders that afflict this unhappy world.
I am saying that it is my opinion that many of these children do not have the affliction attributed to them by their parent, but that the parent is attempting to gain sympathy, etc. In some cases, of course, the parent is trying to obtain some type of monetary compensation, but mostly, I bet, it is to be portrayed as a victim or viewed in a sympathetic light.
Here, reading the original post, I am struck by the hysterical edge to the writing. My advice to the original poster is simple: if your child has a severe peanut allergy, do not take your child on an airline that serves peanuts. The airline was not exposing your child, you were.
After all, you did say that it was for a vacation. Hence you had choices. You already knew that Delta is one of those airlines that continue to serve peanuts on board. Rather than try to get Delta to conform to you, you should have either chosen another airline that is recognized for being peanut-free, or else chosen another form of transportation (such as driving). This was a nightmare of your making.
When my church (not hers, so not everyone there knew her son and his allergies) had a summer camp she sent her son and didn't list his allergy on the form because she "didn't want him to miss out on any activities or be treated differently than the other kids". 
(She says it's okay to do that because he knows not to eat any peanuts or peanut butter.) Either he might drop dead because there's a peanut in the room or he can be around peanuts but just not eat them - you can't have it both ways! It's ridiculous - I think she thrives on the drama.
