I began my journey as a mother early. I was all of 18 when I found out I was pregnant and 19 when I gave birth to my oldest daughter.
There is a tsunami of emotions, thoughts, fears ect. that come with having a child at any age. Maybe even more so when your still a child yourself, but even in the midst of all that was happening and going to happen. I never once questioned whether I was going to vaccinate my child and future children.
First off let me give this disclaimer, because there are people who like to take it upon themselves to blast people and just be down right nasty and take things to an unnecessary place. Honestly the reason for even needing a disclaimer to me is absurd, but none the less, this is MY own personal opinion on the topic at hand. MY own thoughts and feelings as a mother and as a parent to 5 children, all of whom have been vaccinated. I understand not everyone if anyone shares my views, everyone is entitled to their opinion and though you don't have to agree or like it, I do ask that you respect it. Thank you
OK, now that that's outta the way, here it is. . .
Disease is everywhere.......
No doubt about that. It's unbelievably scary and it takes it too a whole other level when you add a child to the equation.
I as a child suffered from the chickenpox, as did many children, ( I was born in the 80's and the varicella vaccine was not licensed and introduced until 1995). I vaguely remember much about having the chickenpox, what I do remember was it was painfully uncomfortable and looked like I was covered in bugs, which is gross.
I also remember a boy from my school being sick with chickenpox, his unlike mine was horrendous. He had the lesions all over his body, but he also had them in his mouth, down his throat. He was severely ill. I couldn't imagine having to see my child in that state and feel completely helpless.
Now hearing a story like this will affect people in 2 million different ways, especially when the topic of vaccinating is brought up. You hear answers like I will, I don't, I have, I'm not going to, and that is a personal choice we all as parents at some point will have to make.
I'm a parent ......
I totally get where people are coming from. These are your kids, it's your job to make all of these decisions as their parent. To spank or put in timeout, tv or books before bed or both, playing outside or going to museums, all natural, home grown veggies and fruit, free range meat, no meat, no animal products at all, organic milk, regular whole milk, soy milk my God in Heaven the list goes on and on. Do the parenting that makes you and your child/children happy, I don't care.
The way you parent your child/children doesn't hurt me and mine one damn bit!
But when it comes to Vaccines....
That is a completely different story.
This little area that some seem to think of as "harmful" and "unnecessary" because Bing, or Yahoo, or Google said so. You're being naive and you are hurting others by doing so.
Oh I know all about that a certain blonde celeb poster child for the anti-vaccine movement and all her banter about her child's immune system being superior to everyone else's child. Just because she believes that, doesn't mean everyone else should be put at risk. It's also not fair to unjustly blame vaccines for causing your child to have to live with a condition such as autism. Especially when the vaccines in question have no actual link to autism, nor do any others. So it was blindly put out into the universe, if you vaccinate your child, they will develop autism. That's what the masses heard. Encouraging people to not vaccinate their children. That is essentially endangerment, and not just to your child, but to everyone.
Vaccinating is like........
Germ damage control. You clean your house after an illness has made it's way through (I hope you do at least) You wash clothes, bedding. You wipe everything down, you disinfect. Simple stuff, you cover your nose and mouth and most importantly........YOU WASH YOUR HANDS!!! So you don't spread germs around. Basic hygiene, wash your hands, they teach this in kindergarten.
Vaccines too are like germ damage control. They help assist the body in building immunity to fend off germs. Maybe you feel your children don't need that assistance, because they only eat this and take these supplements or whatever reason, so their immune health is just fine. That very well may be true, their not my child.
On the flip side of that though, your un-vaccinated child is bringing all these germs everywhere they go, the park,the grocery store, a family dinner, a birthday party and they're exposing people who may not be fully prepared to deal with them. I'm talking about individuals with weak/compromised immune systems, babies, cancer patients, the elderly. People who cannot handle these diseases. The people who are vaccinated, we serve as a barrier to help protect those who don't have the immune system to fight these diseases. Need a visual aide, The diseases are Lord Valdermort and we are Harry Potter (the barrier) fighting him. Corny? Maybe, but whatever it works.
People are taking for granted something that is readily available to them, when people in other places pray for healing that doesn't come to them. The one thing they cry out for to save their child that they don't have, you have down the street at your doctor's office.
The medicine we have and the science that contributed to making that medicine is a gift from God, it is a blessing.
Your are blatantly turning your back on that, turning your nose up at it. To say it's driven by conspiracy and greed or that your child will be hurt more by the gift of medicine then the disease it self is ludicrous.
It's ignorant, ungrateful, it's pretentious.
Children die everyday from these diseases in various places in the world and their families have no choice but to stand by and watch powerless. They pray constantly for a means to an end of the diseases killing their children such as a vaccine and here you have it staring you in the face and you are willingly and knowingly throwing it way.
It's sickening, it's irresponsible.
As a parent I accepted the risk of something possibly happening when i had my children vaccinated. I thought it more important that they be protected and help protect others.
But are the parents who refuse to vaccinate accepting the risks that they're not only placing on their child, but essentially every person their child comes in contact with. In my opinion no, they are blindly going down a road and they selfishly have no disregard for anyone else's well being.
We have an obligation as parents to vaccinate our children, that is my honest opinion, you don't have to agree with or even like it. Just please respect it
It's just incredibly sad to see a vast amount of parents not vaccinating because these celebs said they weren't going to because they skimmed over these articles that said so. So I guess if those same celebs said it was in your child's best interest to be tossed off a bridge you would be inclined to listen, because that is exactly what is happening with vaccines. People blindly following a trend put forth by some out spoken celebs who don't think before they speak.
I sincerely hope things change, before God blesses me with grandchildren.
Xoxo
Emily
