(05-14-2009, 02:21 PM)Ali Quadir Wrote: However, the whole vaccination thing is terrible to be wrong about. We used to have outbreaks of terrible diseases. And we don't have this today.
You are correct. However, it works both ways! Most parents get their children vaccinated without ever questioning it, and this often (more often than people realize) results in tragedy.
Deciding to not vaccinate my child was perhaps the most difficult decision in my parenting career. I researched the issue voraciously, and this was before the age of the internet!
Now, there are a lot more resources available, which have only served to confirm my original decision. Basically, with the exception of tetanus, I ended up much more terrified of the vaccine than of the illness!
There is much, much more I could say on this, but I don't want to sidetrack this thread. If anyone is interested in some resources about the vaccine controversy, please feel free to pm me.
I would definitely encourage parents to investigate both sides of this issue before making a decision that could potentially devastate their child's health.
(05-14-2009, 02:21 PM)Ali Quadir Wrote: ...you only observed 1 child. You know, as well as I do the risks of relying on observation. I suppose you had an education where observation was taught before becoming a mental health worker. It's the same "observation" that causes wanderer kids to become railroaded into the mental health system...
I cannot speak for fairyfarmgirl, but I can say that, in my case, this would not be an accurate statement. I did not vaccinate my child, so my decision was based on extensive research and observation of MANY children...thru newsletters, books, and personal correspondence (since there was no www back then).
Even so, as parents, we MUST heed our own direct observation of our own children. WE know our children better than anyone else! Observation of children by teachers is an entirely different situation, because they must put the whole class in front of the individual. However, if we, the parents, o not put our children first, and champion them, who will?
It's difficult to explain the fierceness of a parent's love for their children. I did not understand it until I had a child myself.