Wow! That got your attention, didn't it? It's kid of a hot spot for lots of parents of young kids. People feel very strongly one way or another on the issue. To some folks, they're even fighting words. So really, Why would you bother to vaccinate them? What do you hope to accomplish?
Like most pro-vaccine types, you probably believe that this injection will give your child the power to overcome a variety of the more crippling and infectious childhood diseases. By giving your child this series of vaccines, you are empowering them with the strength to fight off that which seeks to destroy and weaken them. Before that threat is anywhere NEAR your baby, you want them to be prepared to fight it off. Of course you want your child to have that power! You want to fill their arsenal with the weaponry necessary to grow strong and confident, knowing that Whooping Cough will not take their lungs, and that the Polio will not cripple their legs. You probably agree that it would be irresponsible of you to send your child out into the world of other children without being protected from the 'pickers and lickers' of the playground, grocery store, or day care!
Or maybe you don't believe there's any benefit in vaccinations. You don't think there really are diseases that want to damage your baby, or you feel that you personally can keep him or her "safe enough". Or maybe you don't want your child to be uncomfortable. It hurts for a little bit. Sometimes it makes kids cranky for a few days. (To some kids with febrile seizures, it's life threatening, but not to most kids.) Maybe you think to yourself, "I didn't like vaccinations, so I'm not going to make my kids go through that. It was horrible and I hated it. If they ask me about it, we'll talk."
Ridiculous, right?
Has he or she in any way asked you protect them from Tetanus or the Measles? Of course not! They don't know there IS any such thing. As parents, we make decisions for our children to protect them and build their strength. We want to empower them to fight off ALL of the things that set out to weaken and destroy them. ALL the choices we make for our children are because we love them and want them to be safe, and empowered to survive and thrive in a hostile, booger-infested world that wants to crush them and tell them they don't matter. That may mean that you will force your beliefs about bio-hazards on them. You will drag them, kicking and screaming if necessary, to the doctor's office because you know they will need what they are receiving. Maybe not today, and maybe not tomorrow, but one day they will.
Just like they need God.
I baptized my children when they were not yet old enough to know what was happening. I wanted to "vaccinate" them against evil by filling them God. They had no idea they were born with a separation between them and God, just like they didn't know they were susceptible to the Human Papilloma Virus that could render them infertile. I made the choice to fill them with God's Love as a protective serum for their souls. I wanted to empower them so that when the things of this world try to destroy and weaken them, they are prepared. I hoped to instill in them that they are loved beyond measure, so that when the very real sicknesses of depression and addiction come near, they have God's Love to keep them sober and healthy, even if their physical strength fails.
I admit that I have forced my beliefs about biohazards on my children. I have also taken them to church, even under the occasional protest, If they didn't like it, that's okay with me. I hoped to accomplish ALL the things that a vaccinator hopes to do. Protect, Strengthen, and Empower.
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