A Pox on Rice Krispies

Seth came home today and when he got to his homework, everything set him off. He was fussy and couldn't concentrate. Twice he stormed upstairs after I got onto him and crawled into bed. I had to get him out of bed to finish his chores and homework.

Later he came to me with a confession.

"Mom," he said, "today Mrs. Britt (his teacher) gave me that rice bar."

I groaned. "Seth, you mean a Rice Krispie Treat?" (Background: about 3 months ago, poor Zac read a label for Seth at a church function and he missed the malt flavoring that is always on the Rice Krispie Treats. It's made from barley and contains gluten. This is one of the many reasons GF diets are hard to get right without some good education in the beginning.)

"Yes." He looked sheepish. "She read the label and said it didn't have any gluten, so I ate it."

Well, it all made sense now. That's how he gets when he eats gluten, sleepy and grouchy.

"Seth, it has barley in it. It doesn't have wheat. That's why she thought it was gluten-free. You can't ever eat it, even if someone tells you it's okay." Poor guy. He so wanted to believe.

Well, he'll survive. And the teacher was just trying to help, so I won't bring her in to this. Seth and Zac are getting quite capable at policing themselves these days. So I don't think he'll be making that mistake again.

But why, oh, why, does barley on Rice Krispie treats even have to be an issue? Is it really that critical an ingredient? Small aggrevations, I guess.