High school seems like a big milestone, and I decided I wanted to find a throwback to an earlier milestone. I found this picture from her first day of kindergarten, the same week that she turned five.
The contrast between then and now, 9 years later, is striking. (Not just in terms of wardrobe, though I do think she’s still rebelling against the Catholic school dress code. That’s a subject for another post.) She’s not only taller than the lock on the door, she’s taller than I am.
I’ve always said that I’m lucky to be her mama.
I am also lucky to live in a nation where being a mother means that you expect to see your child reach age five and go to kindergarten, in part because we have easy access to vaccines.
Filling out the requisite paperwork for high school registration, including medical forms and proof of vaccination, reminded me of how lucky we are. Vaccinating is a matter of a trip to the doctor or even the Walgreens just down the street.
I thought of the mothers who walk for hours or even days to get their children immunized as I completed those forms. My thoughts turned to the mothers who have lost their sweet babies to vaccine-preventable diseases. I shuddered remembering that a child dies every 20 seconds from a vaccine-preventable disease.
As a Shot@Life Champion, I want to do something to change that.
Blogust happens during the month of August and bloggers from across the country share throwback baby photos of themselves or their children at important milestones with #Blogust, just like this post.
This year marks the fifth year of Blogust helping kids around the world reach their fifth birthday thanks to the power of global vaccines, so sharing a photo of my girl at age five seems appropriate. See what other bloggers shared on the Blogust website here.
For every social media like, comment or share (up to 30,000), MAM will make a donation to help provide a lifesaving vaccine to a child. Funds generated by Blogust will directly support Shot@Life’s implementing partners, UNICEF and WHO, so that they can deliver measles vaccines to the countries with the most need.
Please help other moms around the world be able to see their babies reach age five. You can do so by commenting on this post. Or you can share it on Facebook, Twitter, and Pinterest using #Blogust.
Thank you!
You May Also Like: This World Immunization Week, let’s give all kids a shot at life
Prior Post: Fun facts about elephants for World Elephant Day
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