Thanks to Tatanisha from Fresh Outta Time for sharing her vaccination story.
Since day one there has always been controversy around vaccinations. People for it. People against it. Parents shaming other parents because they didn’t vaccinate their child(ren). Then there are the other parents shaming the other parents who did have their children receive their vaccines.
Should I Vaccinate my child?
Who’s right? Who’s wrong?
I’m not here to tell you either, just my story with vaccinations. My parents did not allow myself and my siblings to receive our immunizations due to religious reasons. When I became a parent, I thought long and hard about this issue. I, along with my husband researched the pros and cons of vaccinations. I read all of the stories parents shared about their vaccination experiences (good and bad). Then, together, we made a decision we would vaccinate our boys, but we decided not to go by the general guideline.
Many parents can get lost in the shuffle about doing the research and understanding what’s the best thing for their child(ren). At the end of the day, I always recommend for parents to trust their instincts. However, always do the research and make that decision together- on what’s best for you and your family.
Vaccinations in Michigan
Here in Michigan, there are many tools available to you, the parent, on making an educated decision. I Vaccinate provides information and tools based on real medical science and research to help Michigan parents protect their kids.
Back in 2003, many of these awesome tools were not available for easy access to parents. I had to go the old school way of going to the library, digging for information, and looking around the internet for the essential information I needed to decide on vaccinating my boys. Thankfully, with today’s modern technology, we have tools available at our fingertips.
I Vaccinate answers those questions we all have as parents:
- Is this safe for my child?
- Do vaccines protect for life?
- Are there side effects?
- If my child is sick, should he or she still get vaccines?
- Why should I follow the recommended schedule?
These are just a few of the many questions answered on I Vaccinate’s website. Having resources like this is crucial for parents to make the best decision for their child. Many times we hear so many stories about people’s personal experiences with vaccinations, but we don’t do our own research.
Their website also has a free immunization schedule for parents to print, how to catch up on shots, and how to request your child’s immunization record. I wish I had known about a resource like this when the boys were little, but now I can use it to help me keep track of their immunization records.
Read the full blog here.