When Samantha was diagnosed with celiac disease, I remember the shock and confusion I felt and how completely overwhelmed I was. I had no idea how to go about living gluten free. I had so many questions. What do I pack for her lunch? How do I handle sleepovers? Birthday parties? School parties? The questions went on and on….I started doing some digging and I found this awesome celiac disease support group called R.O.C.K. (Raising Our Celiac Kids). They have more than 100 chapters all over the United States. It was started in 1991 by Danna Korn after her son was diagnosed with celiac disease. She also authored the book Kids with Celiac Disease, it was the first book I bought when Samantha was diagnosed. I can’t even tell you how helpful that book was to me. The information it provided about how to raise a celiac kid was invaluable. But, I digress, back to Celiac Disease Support Groups! I don’t know of many, I’m sure if you did some looking locally you could find something, but I wanted to let you know about R.O.C.K. They really helped me when I needed some guidance. I was able to talk to other parents and find what’s been working for them and how they handle everyday situations like school lunch, birthday parties, sleepovers all that kid type of stuff! Go here and see if there’s a chapter in your area. It’s not just a support group for parents, it’s a support group for your celiac kids as well.  They do some pretty awesome things throughout the year such as an annual gluten free fun camp! For additional information on other Celiac Disease Support Groups, check here.  Once in a while, we all need a little support!