To the nosy bitch who claimed to call child services, the police and the health department on me because I advertised wanting to find a chicken pox party for my child, MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS. I refuse to vaccinate my child against things that you can catch natural immunity against “the old fashioned way.” We have chosen to not vaccinate our child at all with those extremely controversial substances and feel wonderful about our decision. I understand that chicken pox can be dangerous, but our child has a healthy immune system AND is still being breastfed, which helps combat ANY illness. It would be more dangerous if he caught the virus after he stopped breastfeeding and had to fight it off all on his own. Chicken pox symptoms are far less severe in children than adults, so I want him to get it sooner than later.
Your accusation that I’m trying to actually KILL my child is absurd. I’m a loving parent, one who cloth diapers, co-sleeps, practices elimination communication, wears him instead of pushing him around in a stroller and am even raising him as an organic vegetarian- you have absolutely no right to try to get involved in our life and our choices. We don’t appreciate anyone trying to tell us what is in our child’s “best interests” or our best interests in any aspect of our lives. We’re capable of making our own decisions.
Butt out!
This article appears in Jun 26 – Jul 2, 2008.
Way to go! None of my children were ever vaccinated. There are all grown now with children of their own. Being allowed to catch viruses the old fashioned way didn’t kill any of them. Its nice to know that there are some parents who are not so quick to put drugs into their child. It is obviously that you have put much thought into the development of your son. Anyone who doesn’t see this can go soak their head! I am referring to the “nosy bitch”Something you likely already know…….Watch out for mumps. Boys need to catch this one while they are young. After the teenage years mumps can be very painful and sometimes dangerous for a boy.Lots of Luck
AP Mama, I am not trying to butt in either, as I think you have your child’s best interest at heart. think your idea of a pox party is actually a valid one considering your decision to not vaccinate your children. However, there is an assumption in your logic that I would like to address, with respect. A lot of the concern over vaccines and potential links to thinks like autism are anecdotal at best and generally considered scientifically unfounded…but that is another debate. My real concern would be to address the idea that “I don’t have to vaccinate my kids because disease X and Y are not a threat anymore because everybody else is vaccinated”. This is dangerous logic. You cannot depend on herd immunity to protect your child from some of the infectious diseases that are far more dangerous than chickenpox. Measles and mumps have made a resurgence in our population recently, and the progression of it may be due to improper or lack of vaccinations. Vaccinations stimulate the immune system in exactly the same way live virus would but without the symptoms of infection. I hope you have discussed your anti-vaccination decision with your physician and are aware of the risks associated with refusing childhood vaccines. Again, I respect your decision, but you have apparently chosen a challenging path for parenthood to safeguard your child from the “dangers” of modern life, by opting for more natural (and nurturing) solutions. Just keep in mind that viruses are pretty natural too…and also quite nasty.
Power to you : )I was never vaccinated and my kid has only two shots (both thiomersal preservative free). The son of one of my mom’s best friends, when I was growing up had a reaction to immunisation and ended up with developmental problems. He is an amazing guy, though I know it had to be rough for his parents at times. I’m glad to hear about another sling family, etc. I sometimes wonder why humans feel this need to create two nests. Other animals don’t. They keep their children close and not in hard plastic contraptions, fed by rubber nipples, fake “milk” and pvc. I remember people acting like it was radical for us to use a sling at times and, personally, I can’t believe how difficult it would be for families NOT to use a sling. I rarely see women nurse in public here, but when I do its a truly beautiful thing. It’s incredibly rare to see someone breastfeeding their kids above the age of one out in public here. I’ve heard stories similar to yours, unfortunately, though regarding nursing, about people thinking it was abusive for parents to nurse toddlers and that Children’s Aid should become involved. WTF?
My petpeeve is the flu shot. My boss always gets mad at me every year when she asks me if I got my shot this year to which I reply no, and I haven’t had the flu in about 15 years. To me, this seems a bit of a cash grab. Think about how much money the drug companies make every fall when all these paranoid people rush to get their shots. The ironic thing is that I know of people who get these shots and get sick more often than I do.
the flu shot, I believe, was mostly intended for children and old people- people for whom the flu could have serious consequences. when there isn’t enough of it floating around, those are the people who get it, because the rest of us can cope.as far as slings go, I think they’re great! my mum had one in the 90’s for my little brother, which was before it was quite as acceptable as it is today to nurse in public, and loved it, although she did develop soem back problems because the kid was 9 pounds at birth hehe 😉 but as far as nursing toddlers goes? isn’t there a cut off point? I saw a lady nursing what had to be a 4 year old the other day- at what point do the kids a)start to bite and b)start to remember this? yes it’s natrual and all that but all animals are weened at some point……..parents who go on like it’s their right to nurse their child, no matter how old they are, are I feel, doing a disservice to their kids. I’m not talking about 2 and 3 years old, I’m tlaking school and memory age, where the child will get mocked by other kids and will be able to understand the looks and comments of passerby when mom whips out the boob for their 7 year old mouth….(ps I’m new here and I know that’s a little off topic but I just thougth I’d stir the pot a bit ;))
The Flu shot uses “killed” virus to generate the immune reaction. Some people can get flu-like symptoms from the shot (fever mostly) as the immune response progresses. It also is a combination of the 3 most LIKELY/potentially harmful strains of the virus to hit our region during the flu season. So the flu strain you actually get, may not be the one you were vaccinated against. This is why people still get sick, even with the shot. It doesn’t mean the shot is not effective. And the more shots you get (every year) the more immunity you have to different strains of viruses, thus increasing your protection level. If you are older or work in the health care professions, it is generally a good idea to get a flu shot, to prevent your own illness and to prevent spreading it to others. But the most effective anti-flu strategy is probably handwashing and covering your coughs and sneezes.
I agree with you Miles, although the flu vaccine isn’t for everyone, I get it every year (I work in health care) and I’ve gotten considerably less sick each flu season since I’ve started getting the shot. Having said that, I do know some people who just don’t respond to it at all.As for the chicken pox vaccine, OP, you’re doing nothing wrong. I would think that contracting the disease at an early age would be more effective than getting a vaccine that has the potential to “wear out” (a lot like the mumps vaccine) and then someone contracting it when they’re an adult and it’s more lethal. I had the chicken pox and my sibling had the chicken pox when we were kids and we survived just fine – plus we got 2 weeks off of school 🙂
I defintely agree about the pox parties – better to get it over and done with. However, I did chuckle at OP’s comment: “I’m a loving parent, one who cloth diapers, co-sleeps, practices elimination communication, wears him instead of pushing him around in a stroller and am even raising him as an organic vegetarian” – good luck with that shit, sweetheart – I did it all and my kid (now 18) eats meat like a wolverine and has tossed aside most of my ‘natural’ ideas with a vengenence.
haha you’re totally right there! I grew up in a hippy house, and let me tell you- I now revel in buying paper towel, drinking diet coke, eating sugar and preservative filled snacks occasionally, and using more than vinegar and water as a cleaning tool. It’s all well and good to raise your kids to know what all that good granola-crunchy stuff is about, I’m pleased I have that background, but eventually, they’re going to choose- and go on a week-long sugar high as soon as they’re out of your clutches just out of spite ;)also, is anyone else a little confused as to what elimination communication is? is that some everybody-poops thing?
I thought it might be the sign-language thing that’s pretty trendy now…apparently they can tell you when they are hungry or need to go…or maybe it’s finger-painting with poo….I don’t really know, I’m a deadbeat demon-dad too.
ok there are bigger issues at hand if it involves finger painting with excretia. which is a fancy word for poo. maybe it’s just talking aobut how they feel about the whole defecation thing? whether it hurts their sense of ‘one-ness’ to have to do it in the potty, or if it offends their sense of ‘me’ when mom changes their diaper? I’m sure it’s all very touchy-feely, regardless
Finger painting! Now I know what to do after using one of those public restroom toilet paper dispensers! I won’t need my fanny pack after all!I love how all these Bitch threads are becoming woven together.
maybe it’s a sign of the apocolypse?where’s Alison when you need her? whoelse will be able to confirm it?
Courtesy of Wikipedia via Google, Elimination communication is a process by which a caregiver uses timing, signals, cues, and intuition to address an infant’s excretive needs, partially or completely avoiding the use of diapers.Sounds like a lot of work to me. A lot of pointless, messy work.
I bet the learning curve is steep on that one….but I guess the mess you get for guessing wrong is good motivation to figure out the system fast.
so it’s a bunch of free-range tushies, and the idea is to magically divine or time when the little rugrat needs to go, before they poop on the rug? hmmmI dunno about you guys, but I’m well past infant-age and I still can’t time my exrement fun………..so how on earth do they expect a baby to? I mean, infants have a crappy (I’m so punny) sense of time as it is; I doubt one is going to go ‘hmm it’s 9:15, I must poop for exactly the next 5 minutes”
If the parents screw up, you just rub their nose in it.
back to the original post though- yes, it’s nice you take such an interest in the detailed planning of every aspect of your childs life. but when has that become the benchmark for how much you love your kid? because you’re willing to let them poop on your rug, you love them more than someone who uses disposable diapers, feeds their baby formula, etc?Just curious…I’ve seen a lot of parents who over structure, over analyse, and over schedule their kids in the name of ‘love’, and I honestly don’t think those kids are neccessarily more loved or better off than parents who are a little more easy going about their spawn.
halarious…..These must be the kind of caregivers/parents that have nothing else to do. How do they ever get any work/chores done? Who are these people and where do they live?
maybe it’s new-toy syndrom? kid’s all sparkly and new, exciting and fun…..but eventually the parents will grow bored with their new plaything, and go back to a normal level of attention while having a life themselves as well…….and then what happens to the poor kid who’s gotten used to mom and dad chasing them around, intently waiting for them to poop and I’m guessing praising them effervecently when they do?
Elimination communication? Pushing a kid in a stroller is bad? Organic vegetarianism? What a bunch of new age bullshit the OP has bought into. New Age is Big Business for the feeble-minded. Well, guess what – there will come a point when you can’t control your kid with your fucked up mentality and you’ll be finding Big Mac wrappers in their little hemp lunch bags.
Everyone is losing sight of the fact that someone allegedly called “the authorites” on this woman, just for looking into a chicken pox party. I have to agree with the OP, hippie or not, that this is pretty outrageous. People are nosy and fucking stupid.
Organic vegetarianism? I certainly hope you’re not regularly feeding your child soy which is a PHYTO-ESTROGEN, and has been banned or heavily regulated in baby formula & other foods in countries like Britain, Australia and Israel. Before you hop on the hippy train, I hope for your son’s sake you consider the soy factor and also take a more moderate approach to life, after all he’s got to live in the real world one day. Better he’s well adjusted to it than having his worlds collide one day when he doesn’t have the coping skills.
I guess not raising my daughter as an eco warrior means I don’t love her. Ah well.Cloth diapering is super easy though, and it means no diaper rash, so it’s less work. The only downside is once a day or so you rinse of a poopy diaper, but whatever. And it costs a quarter of what disposables do.And baby wearing is just convenient. I can throw her in a sling, and walk around with my hands free and get shit done. Plus there is no fighting thru crowds or whatever.No need to sound smug about all that, it’s really pretty simple.Incidentally, when they tracked the incidents of autism in kids that had been vaccinated vs those who hadn’t, they developed it at the same rate, so that shouldn’t be an issue. But not getting done against something like polio or the mumps, which were basically eliminated and are now making a comeback, is a questionable decision. They can actually kill/cripple kids. But I guess it’s your call. Even if I think you’re decision is based on bad info.Incidentally, if you ever actually read the original study on Bisphenol A contamination, it was only an issue if the bottle had been heated to 80 deg C, and then it was a few parts per billion. At room temp (25 C), there was no detectable level at all. So all you MEC shoppers can keep your old Nalgene bottles for cold water or whatever without fear.I’m rambling, but I guess I wanted to pass on to people not to worry too much about listening to all the expert advice re raising kids. Billions of people before us have turned out okay without it, as long as the kids have boundaries and some healthy respect for their parents, they seem to turn out okay, so don’t sweat all the small what ifs.
I am constantly amazed at the horseshit people will swallow regarding kids. Parents today are overprotective to a fault. Makes me wonder when bubblewrapping the little angels will start.Generations of kids have had shots without effect. I thank Christ we live in a world where they are available.
To think, when I was a kid we didn’t wear seatbelts or bike helmets, we drank water straight from the tap, we often rode in the back of a pickup truck, we ate white bread and drank full-sugar Kool-Aid, yet my siblings and I all turned out to be happy, healthy 30-somethings.Amazing.
in some ways, it seems almost selfishly shamefull and insulting, when parents in this part of the world decide their little darlings can’t be sullied with x, y, or z, when there are kids and parents the world over dying from simple, preventable problems, and aching for something as simple as a mosquito net or a ball, let alone the latest organic, cruelty free, baby einstein toy. maybe it’s just me, but I think we as a global culture should be focussing on, say, finding a way to provide clean drinking water (which would instantly knock out dozens if not hundreds of preventable diseases) than on how to keep little baby pampered from getting the sniffles, from whcih they will recover, just fine.also I agree with you there- in the past kids got dirty, ran around, spoke to strangers, and played with toys that could ahve killed them (lawn darts anyone?) and yet, low and behold, there’s generations of fully functioning adults who never sat through a baby sign language class and ate tons of sugar and preservatives, and never wore a helmet to preschool.
Jennie, indeed. Now look at how things are going, and look at today’s generation. It’s something isn’t it.