It finally happened. The day I've been dreading, the day my son Lennon developed consciousness about his food allergies. I don't mean the first time he realized he had them; he's known that since he was old enough to talk and had to learn by rote what he's not allowed to eat. I mean consciousness as in, "This makes me different from other kids."

It went down something like this: A friend was eating a Clif bar, and my son Lennon wanted a bite. When I told him he couldn't eat something with peanuts and dairy, he asked, "But WHY can't I eat that?" When I reminded him of his food allergies, his face contorted into tears. "Well, I wish I didn't!" he said, and stormed off in a huff.