My son is so allergic to pets that he needs medication — and his grandparents just bought a puppy! How can he continue to see them?

Our elder has a smart suggestion.

Dear EWC

I have a child that has some pretty bad allergies to pets. I have to give him three different medications in order to take him to his grandparents’ house. Recently (and partly sadly) their dog passed and it was great not having to medicate my three-year-old son while going over there. But they just got a new puppy and now we have to medicate him again. He gets very grumpy about the medicine because it throws his little body out of whack. His doctor said if he keeps going around pets he could have a chance of getting asthma. And that is not something I want at all! What should I do? Stop taking him over there? Continue medicating him (which I don’t feel is best for his health)? Thank you.

Sonora replies

If there is a danger of your son’s allergies becoming asthma it would be best to stop, or at least limit, visits to anywhere that has triggers, including the grandparents’ home.
Is there any reason, given the circumstances, that the grandparents cannot visit your home? I’m sure, if you shared the doctor’s assessment and the issues with medication, they can understand the situation and it seems like they would be willing to make that accommodation for the sake of their grandson.

Call the grandparents, invite them over for dinner, and while they are at your home, explain all of the above and suggest regular dinners at your home or in a restaurant (or alternate these options) so that you can keep the relationship with them going. After all, you wouldn’t want to deprive your son of his grandparents, or the grandparents of their grandson.

I hope this helps solve your problem. If you have any further questions, feel free to write back.

Letter #: 426714
Category: Children