How do you tell a child they can’t eat cake at a birthday party? How do you speak to little children about disorders like gluten-intolerance and celiac disease? Is there a way to make them feel more included in social settings? If yes, how do we do it?
Teacher and author of gluten-free children’s books, Jennifer Ritter, spoke to me about the challenges she faced and how she came up with the idea of helping kids cope with these disorders.
About Jennifer
Jennifer lives in Los Angeles County and has been teaching in elementary school for over 20 years. She has three daughters, who suffer from food allergies, Hashimoto’s disease and celiac disease. Jennifer herself finds it difficult to process gluten and as an adult, has found social events challenging at times due to her gluten-free dietary needs.
“About three years ago, my work wouldn’t provide me with gluten-free options at meetings and all the other teachers had options.” Jennifer took an attorney and that resulted in her school district in Los Angeles County acknowledging she had a disability and finally introducing gluten-free options in the district. That was a huge success for Jennifer personally, especially when she realized that many other employees who had celiac and gluten intolerance never said anything because they were afraid to make waves.
“That’s what motivated me to write my books, because that feeling of being excluded at school was something I related to, but also, something as a teacher, I could see it, as a mom I could see it.”
Jennifer Ritter is a teacher and author based in Los Angeles. Image copyright: Jennifer Ritter
Helping kids cope with celiac
Using all of her personal experiences, Jennifer wrote the first book, “Jacq has Celiac.”
It’s the story of Jacq, a little girl, who initially feels excluded because of her condition, but finds gluten-free options and feasts on gluten-free pastas, cake and donuts. Somewhere down the line, she sees that some of her other friends in school feel excluded because they have peanut allergy or can’t have dairy. “She realizes, they’re just like me, but now, they’re excluded.” Together with her headmistress, Jacq comes up with a great plan to have all her friends with diet restrictions become one, Jennifer says. “So it’s a really cute story about inclusion and accepting everyone’s diet and still being able to socialize in the school cafeteria.”
Her other book, “The Magical Cookie,” is about a little girl called Claire, who has celiac’s disease. “Claire feels excluded when a child in her class brings gluten-based treats for his birthday party and she can’t have any. She gets a magic cookie from her dad, somewhat like a little purse in which she can hide her gluten-free treat, waiting to be eaten when others bring out their gluten-based treats like cake pops and the rest. “She can still socialize while having her own treat,” Jennifer explains.
We’re in this together
As expected, Jennifer’s books have touched upon a subject that many parents struggle with while dealing with their children. “The response has been overwhelming. It has been a 100%,” Jennifer says. Everyone has been very appreciative. grateful and have been talking about getting these books to schools and share them with teachers.
“The Magical Cookie” seems to have really filled a gap there, judging by the response it has received. “That’s the one that’s a tear-jerker, that’s the one that makes moms cry,” Jennifer says. That’s because the book is so emotionally relatable. In a London event this year, Jennifer received lots of appreciation from mothers and parents who were thrilled about having a book their children could relate to and think of ways to cope with their disorders.
“For me, we’re all in this together,” she explains about her mission to create more awareness on celiac’s disease and gluten intolerance. “Together, we’re stronger.”
If you’re interested in learning more about Jennifer and her work, visit her website, Gluten Free Travels the World or visit her on Instagram, where she discusses gluten-free eating options in cities around the world.