"Thomas, wait just a minute!"

"Yeah, Mom?" Tommy didn’t want to wait, so he stood impatiently in the hallway for what seemed like forever.

"Do you have everything you need? You’ve never spent the night at a friend’s house before."

"Yup, I’ve got everything right here." Tommy patted his backpack.

"Are you sure? All your medications?"

"Mooooommmm! I’m not a little kid anymore. I know what to do. Don’t worry."

"Okay, Sweetie. Your dad and I will be here, so call if you have any problems."

"Okay." Tommy was all set to leave when his mom grabbed him in a hug.

"Have a great time," she said.

Tommy waved goodbye as he bounded up the street. Max, who lived all of six houses away, was Tommy’s best friend. They were going to play outside, eat pizza, watch a movie, and play video games. Tommy was bursting with excitement - his first sleepover!

Max and Tommy were in the middle of their make-believe game. Tommy, wearing his old Halloween mask and a cape, was the good guy chasing Max around the backyard, laughing and screaming all the way. Suddenly, Max ran behind the hedge with honeysuckle vine growing on it.

"Stop!" yelled Tommy.

"What’s wrong?" Max asked.

"I’m very allergic to that," Tommy replied, pointing to the vine. "And it makes me have asthma."

"Well, better stay away from it." Max warned. "You have your inhaler just in case, right?" asked Max.

"Yeah, I think it’s in my backpack."

"We’d better check." Max led Tommy inside the house, into Max’s bedroom where Tommy had left his backpack. Out came the shirts and pajamas, the fresh underwear, and other things. The inhaler was supposed to be way down in the bottom - that’s where it usually was - but Tommy couldn’t find it. He was sure he’d packed it.

Tommy looked sheepishly at Max: "I think I forgot my inhaler at home."

"You should go get it."

"I think I’ll probably be okay." Tommy was half asking. He didn’t want Max to think his asthma was a big deal. Besides, he wasn’t sneezing or coughing at all, and his breathing was fine. He didn’t want to spoil their very first sleepover.

"No, I think you should go," said Max, "It won’t take long and when you get back, we can keep playing. And, my dad’s bringing home pizza for dinner!"

"You’re right," he said. "I’m always supposed to have my medication with me. I’m going home to get my inhaler."

Back at home...

"Tommy, we need you to understand that your asthma is serious. It doesn’t mean that you can’t go over to play with Max. But you need to carry your medication with you at all times," Tommy’s dad said in his serious voice.

"I know. I just forgot." Tommy shrugged his shoulders and looked at the floor.

"Sweetie, forgetting your medication isn’t like forgetting your toothbrush. You always need to carry your inhaler in case of an attack. You know that," Tommy’s mom told him.

"Yeah," Tommy replied. He hoped his parents weren’t too mad at him. He was afraid they would never let him spend the night at anyone’s house ever again.

"It’s okay, Tommy," his dad said. "You did the right thing by coming home as soon as you realized you forgot your inhaler. Before you go back, I want you to put your inhaler somewhere safe in your backpack where you can find it. In one of the zippered pockets."

"Does that mean I can still spend the night at Max’s?" Tommy looked up hopefully. His dad didn’t look as angry anymore.

"Of course," his mom replied. "As long as you don’t rush this time and remember to bring everything, even your toothbrush. And tomorrow, we’re going to make a list of things that you should take with you when you spend the night at someone’s house. Or when we go on vacation. You’re old enough to start remembering these things yourself. Deal?"

"Deal! Thanks, guys!" Tommy grinned and threw his arms around his mom and dad in a big hug. He started out the door. Then he remembered he wasn’t going to rush. He emptied his backpack to double-check. "I wonder if Max’s dad got the pizza yet. I’m starving!"

Reprinted from Allergy & Asthma Health magazine, Winter 2000.