Last week, I took my daughter to visit our family doctor so that she could get the sports physical necessary for a high school tryout. At the end of her exam, he said, with mock sadness, \u201cI\u2019m afraid I don\u2019t have any vaccinations to give you this time.\u201d<\/p>\n
She exhaled with relief and smiled broadly.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut next time, when you\u2019re 16, we can do the meningitis vaccine,\u201d he followed up.<\/p>\n
Her face fell, but mine lit up.<\/p>\n
\u201cOne of my favorites!\u201d I exclaimed.<\/p>\n It really is one of my favorites because the vaccine was not available when I was a teen headed off to college. I later contracted meningitis. It was terrifying. I am beyond thrilled and thankful that there is a vaccine that will help protect my daughter from it and spare her from that awful and life-threatening experience.<\/p>\n Much of my volunteer work is with Shot@Life<\/a>, which focuses on getting vaccines to children under age five in developing nations so they can grow up healthy and thrive.<\/p>\n Similarly, my work as the mom of a child in America focuses on making sure she has what she needs to grow up healthy and thrive. I vaccinate because it is one of the safest and most effective actions I can take to protect her.<\/p>\n Vaccines today have fewer antigens but offer more protection than they did in 1980.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Currently, the United States has the safest, most effective vaccine supply in its history. To quote Hamilton<\/em><\/a>, the musical that my daughter and I both adore, \u201cHow lucky we are to be alive right now!\u201d<\/p>\n While we are fortunate to have such a great vaccine supply, it\u2019s imperative that we not let down our guard as parents. Although we don\u2019t always see the diseases we vaccinate our children against, they have not disappeared.<\/p>\n I remember the time my infant received her first vaccines. As a new and exhausted mom, I had a lot of questions, all of which the pediatrician patiently answered. Then he said, \u201cI have volunteered in clinics around the world and I have seen children suffering from each of these diseases. I want your daughter to be as healthy as possible, just like you do. I assure you, you are doing the right thing by getting her these immunizations.\u201d<\/p>\n That reassurance was very valuable to me. I\u2019ve thought back on that conversation nearly every time my daughter has received another vaccine. With doctors we\u2019ve seen since, we carry on a conversation about vaccines. I\u2019m not afraid to ask the doctor\u2019s opinion, and I\u2019ve been fortunate enough to have doctors who are willing to talk openly with me, often as parents themselves and the choices they\u2019ve made for their children. I\u2019m very grateful for the partnerships I\u2019ve had with my child\u2019s health care providers.<\/p>\n Of course, like the vast majority of parents, I don\u2019t have a medical degree or training in immunology. But as parents, we do have helpful tools at our disposal, including access to evidence-based resources, such as I\u00a0Vaccinate<\/a>. I Vaccinate\u00a0began as a way to provide information based on real medical science and research to help Michigan parents protect their kids. (Pro tip: Science and research works well for parents in any state, not just Michigan.)<\/p>\n There are also resources like the American Academy of Pediatrics<\/a> and the CDC website<\/a>. There\u2019s a lot of info on the web, make sure that the info you\u2019re getting in sound and based in fact. Science, friends.<\/p>\n Not all parents cheer in the doctor\u2019s office when talking about vaccines like I do. (I know I\u2019m a little wacky sometimes.) But it\u2019s important to know a vast number of parents choose to protect their child through vaccination<\/a>.<\/p>\n Among my friends in real life and on the internet, vaccines are a topic that many people avoid like, well, like a communicable disease, ironically enough. That can make choices about vaccines feel isolating and scary. It\u2019s one of the reasons I wanted to share our experiences with vaccinations and why I vaccinate my teen in this post. Something that is safe and effective for our kids shouldn\u2019t be taboo.<\/p>\n Talking with friends with daughters who have gotten the HPV vaccine and knowing they had no problems made me feel a bit better, and sharing that my daughter had no adverse reactions with her immunizations brought other parents peace of mind, too.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n Please don\u2019t feel like that means you have to discuss the topic. You don\u2019t. But if you want to do so, it\u2019s helpful to know that there are people out there who can offer reassurance, support and the some of the most powerful phrases in English for moms, which I think are \u201cMe, too\u201d and \u201cWe did that and we\u2019re glad. It worked out just fine.\u201d<\/p>\n Pin for later:<\/strong><\/p>\n Visit I Vaccinate<\/a>\u00a0for up-to-date, scientific information.<\/p>\n Follow them on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0\u00a0Twitter<\/a>\u00a0|\u00a0Instagram<\/a><\/p>\n Prior Post:<\/strong>\u00a0How I became a contestant on Jeopardy! and how you can, too<\/a><\/p>\n You May Also Like: <\/strong>This World Immunization Week, let\u2019s give all kids a shot at life<\/a><\/p>\n Don\u2019t miss a post! Please subscribe to Between Us Parents\u2019 safe, spam-free email list in the box in the top right corner of the page!<\/p>\n![\"\"](\"http:\/\/betweenusparents.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/05\/fullsizeoutput_2717-1024x768.jpeg\")
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