This is taken from a little (maybe a lot) rambly discussion I had with someone on facebook this morning.
They had posted something from a "real scientist" about how the anti-vaccine movement was "killing kids", and by not vaccinating, they are "just begging for once-deadly diseases in the US to make a big comeback". Vaccines are safe, effective, and readily available, so why even take the risk of getting the disease?
When people challenge my vaccine stance, using their own logic, I ask them about smallpox, rabies, and TB. There's an anti-vaccine movement in the US, for you.
"If everyone stops getting vaccines, we run the risk of once-deadly diseases returning" they tell us.
Ok, if vaccines are so safe and effective, why would we *ever* stop getting these (or any) vaccines?
TB is the most deadly infection in the world.
So why aren't we giving those shots to kids today? There's no way we have herd immunity to it, and TB is highly contagious.
Because TB no longer exist in the US? Well, wouldn't international travel risk it being brought in, the way Disney measles and Amish measles were? We should all still safeguard against the most deadly infection in the world, right?
Besides-
A total of 9,582 TB cases were reported in the United States in 2013.
There were 536 US deaths from TB in 2011, the most recent year for which these data are available.
Compare that to the average of 100 cases of measles in the US, with zero deaths.
Both diseases are highly contagious. Why are you so afraid of measles, but not of TB?
I repeat, TB is the most deadly infection in the world. 9 million cases a year, 1.5 million deaths, yet the entire US is an anti-vaccine movement against TB.
The US does not routinely vaccinate, and has never routinely vaccinated, against TB.
The US stopped vaccination against smallpox. Why? Even if it is eliminated from the planet (which it is not), why stop vaccination? Aren't we afraid that by not vaccinating against these diseases we risk losing our herd immunity if it ever comes back? I want my herd immunity!
Rabies. Diagnosis of rabies is almost always a death sentence. It can be easily contracted from the playful nip of an infected puppy, the fearful bite of a stray kitten, the painless bite from a bat that enters through a breezy open window... By the time symptoms present themselves, it's too late to help you.
Vaccines are so safe and effective, why don't we routinely vaccinate against rabies? If your child is not vaccinated against rabies and shares a sippy cup with my child, my child could get sick. Deathly sick. Why risk it?
Why risk almost certain death, when a safe, effective vaccine exists and is readily available? Because your children are never going to be exposed to dogs or cats, sippy cups, or sleep with the windows open, or go camping?
The US has been anti-vaccine in three very deadly, highly contagious diseases, yet we are not walking around constantly fearful of these diseases, and we are not dropping over dead from these diseases. Why not? Because the propaganda has not told us to be fearful of these diseases, and to get vaccinated against them for the Greater Good and Herd Immunity.
Tuesday, October 23, 2018
Finally Got My Parenting Report Card Back.
I know you're mad. I honestly tried to piece together the best I could with what I had. What I had inside, what your dad provided, what support I could get from friends and family. No one gets perfect. To me, you deserved perfect, so I tried to give you the best things that would make you smart and independent. I tried to give you tools to eat from the earth, and not junk. To love all kinds of music. To love to wear secondhand clothes, and not get caught up on material things. I tried to teach you to love simplicity, and not need fancy and glittery. To love all types of people. I let you guys dye your hair blue, when other parents freaked out. I taught you manners, so you could walk into any room and know that you belong there. I taught you that you are worth it. You are worth it. You were always worth it. When others told me you weren't, I insisted that you were.
-The most sick thing that you ever did is made us believe that everything we went through was normal. I've lived and stayed with so many other people, I think it's safe to say it was not normal. I'm not okay.-
I don't know anyone who had "normal". When you start talking to them, it starts to come out. Their dad was gay, or an alcoholic, or they were on welfare, or they kept moving to avoid the police, or their mother committed suicide, or their mother wasn't really their mother...
Humans of New York shows us that, too. Normal people walking around, but they all carry this story, of how things weren't normal. Some people have horrible pasts to overcome.
-But even through all that shit, they still managed to give their children the best childhood they could. You did amazing things as a parent and you tried your best, but you would purposely make us feel like shit. You had so much built up anger that you didn't know what to do with it.-
I had my kids and thought as long as I didn't make the mistakes my mom had made, it would be ok. I thought, since I had child development training, and early childhood education, that I could do ok. I read books, and took classes.
And I didn't make the mistakes my mom made. I made all new ones.
But when you're in it, and there's no way out, and everyone around you has different ideas of what needs done to your kids to make them behave, you start to lose your bearings.
But I always got up. Wyle E Coyote. Bill Clinton. Oprah. The little acorn dude in Ice Age. Lady Gaga. Cher. You get back up. You try again. And again.
-You can't hold things that toddlers did against the adults they have become. You should have not had kids if you still had all these issues.-
But you see, you don't even know you still have the issues, lol. You find out five and ten years in. You don't know how you will feel about things, even if you think you do. I always knew if I had a son I'd keep his hair short. I always said that. Til I got a son. And he wanted long hair. Lots of people criticized my parenting then, but I didn't care. If my son wanted long hair, so what?
It's a million little decisions like that every day, with the world- your family, friends, tv, movies, commercials, all telling you what you should do, and it's all different.
Every day, a million choices, a million decisions. When to push, when to let them fall, when to do it yourself, when to make them learn it. Do you push your kids to brush their teeth, or let them get meth mouth?
And you do it on lack of sleep, lack of money, lack of support, lack of love, because the kids will hate you. God, they will hate you, no matter what. They will hate you when you pour your blood out and you are sick, and in the hospital, they will hate you because they had to miss pokemon. If I could do it over, I'd do lots of things differently. But we don't get to do it over. We have to live with the mistakes. That's the curse.
"You know, come to think of it. You really don't have to be a good parent, so long as you teach your kids forgiveness." ~Rich Wellner
-The most sick thing that you ever did is made us believe that everything we went through was normal. I've lived and stayed with so many other people, I think it's safe to say it was not normal. I'm not okay.-
I don't know anyone who had "normal". When you start talking to them, it starts to come out. Their dad was gay, or an alcoholic, or they were on welfare, or they kept moving to avoid the police, or their mother committed suicide, or their mother wasn't really their mother...
Humans of New York shows us that, too. Normal people walking around, but they all carry this story, of how things weren't normal. Some people have horrible pasts to overcome.
-But even through all that shit, they still managed to give their children the best childhood they could. You did amazing things as a parent and you tried your best, but you would purposely make us feel like shit. You had so much built up anger that you didn't know what to do with it.-
I had my kids and thought as long as I didn't make the mistakes my mom had made, it would be ok. I thought, since I had child development training, and early childhood education, that I could do ok. I read books, and took classes.
And I didn't make the mistakes my mom made. I made all new ones.
But when you're in it, and there's no way out, and everyone around you has different ideas of what needs done to your kids to make them behave, you start to lose your bearings.
But I always got up. Wyle E Coyote. Bill Clinton. Oprah. The little acorn dude in Ice Age. Lady Gaga. Cher. You get back up. You try again. And again.
-You can't hold things that toddlers did against the adults they have become. You should have not had kids if you still had all these issues.-
But you see, you don't even know you still have the issues, lol. You find out five and ten years in. You don't know how you will feel about things, even if you think you do. I always knew if I had a son I'd keep his hair short. I always said that. Til I got a son. And he wanted long hair. Lots of people criticized my parenting then, but I didn't care. If my son wanted long hair, so what?
It's a million little decisions like that every day, with the world- your family, friends, tv, movies, commercials, all telling you what you should do, and it's all different.
Every day, a million choices, a million decisions. When to push, when to let them fall, when to do it yourself, when to make them learn it. Do you push your kids to brush their teeth, or let them get meth mouth?
And you do it on lack of sleep, lack of money, lack of support, lack of love, because the kids will hate you. God, they will hate you, no matter what. They will hate you when you pour your blood out and you are sick, and in the hospital, they will hate you because they had to miss pokemon. If I could do it over, I'd do lots of things differently. But we don't get to do it over. We have to live with the mistakes. That's the curse.
"You know, come to think of it. You really don't have to be a good parent, so long as you teach your kids forgiveness." ~Rich Wellner
Inertia
Hey. You know that moment when you know you should work out... And then you don't. And 5 seconds later you know you *won't*?
You've had that, right?
Ok, so what do you say to yourself in those 5 seconds to make it a yes?
I am really struggling with a lot of things right now (exercise being an important one) and I just stay in my fat little cozy comfort zone.
What am I waiting for? What am I scared of? Looking good? Being healthy?
Well... Not being able to breathe is a big one. Being too hot or too cold, too. Getting a headache. Peeing my pants....
All of these are fixable though.
I need to go to the grocery store. I don't like it but I need my bp medication. And I'm looking forward to buying mushrooms.
I've also been putting off going to Sam's club for a long time. Last time I went was July. I'm slowly running out of everything. One thing is that ginormous container they sell of parmesan cheese. I love parmesan cheese. Yes, I am aware they sell parmesan cheese at the regular grocery store but if I buy it there, I may never get to Sam's to get the rest of the stuff I need.
I have thought about it. I have realized the problems, and what I particularly dread. I imagine myself getting through those moments successfully. Over and over. I try to pump myself up. But then I decide I can live without parmesan cheese. And I don't go.
I say "Wouldn't it be nice to have parmesan cheese?". But it's not enough to make me go.
I also need to have my daughter's junk car pulled out of here.
But I don't call.
I have a list of 20 reasons why.
I almost typed "I'm tired of being paralyzed", but it's not true. I'm not tired of it. Or I would do something about it.
It's not laziness. Laziness doesn't come with a hammering heart and sweaty hands, and bowels that liquify at the thought of making a phone call to a towing company.
...
I just called. They can tow it today sometime.
So. Talking about it helped.
Now the gym.
...Or not.
One thing at a time.
You've had that, right?
Ok, so what do you say to yourself in those 5 seconds to make it a yes?
I am really struggling with a lot of things right now (exercise being an important one) and I just stay in my fat little cozy comfort zone.
What am I waiting for? What am I scared of? Looking good? Being healthy?
Well... Not being able to breathe is a big one. Being too hot or too cold, too. Getting a headache. Peeing my pants....
All of these are fixable though.
I need to go to the grocery store. I don't like it but I need my bp medication. And I'm looking forward to buying mushrooms.
I've also been putting off going to Sam's club for a long time. Last time I went was July. I'm slowly running out of everything. One thing is that ginormous container they sell of parmesan cheese. I love parmesan cheese. Yes, I am aware they sell parmesan cheese at the regular grocery store but if I buy it there, I may never get to Sam's to get the rest of the stuff I need.
I have thought about it. I have realized the problems, and what I particularly dread. I imagine myself getting through those moments successfully. Over and over. I try to pump myself up. But then I decide I can live without parmesan cheese. And I don't go.
I say "Wouldn't it be nice to have parmesan cheese?". But it's not enough to make me go.
I also need to have my daughter's junk car pulled out of here.
But I don't call.
I have a list of 20 reasons why.
I almost typed "I'm tired of being paralyzed", but it's not true. I'm not tired of it. Or I would do something about it.
It's not laziness. Laziness doesn't come with a hammering heart and sweaty hands, and bowels that liquify at the thought of making a phone call to a towing company.
...
I just called. They can tow it today sometime.
So. Talking about it helped.
Now the gym.
...Or not.
One thing at a time.
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