Covid is again weighing heavily on me–after months of seeing the light at the end of the tunnel! I’m sure many of you are feeling similar anxiety about what this means for the coming school year. I will be doing all the prevention measures we already know to work: Running my air filter. Taking elderberry syrup. Sanitizing my hands. Wearing a mask in crowded places.
That said, I am convinced that the long-term solution here is mass vaccination. This opinion probably surprises many of you. While I’ve never considered myself an anti-vaxxer, I was raised by two of them;), I and spaced out my owns kids’ immunizations (basically per the Dr. Sears alternative selective schedule). I’ve defended anti-vaxxers in the past, when I said the following about my basic stance:
- Overall, I would describe myself as agnostic about many vaccines–I don’t know that they carry with them any long-term risks, but the assurances of the medical establishment doesn’t entirely reassure me.
- I wish pediatricians would be more willing to discuss the ins and outs of each vaccine and the disease against which it protects. Instead, most physicians simply insist that there is zero potential for any long-term downside to vaccines. I believe that many parents would actually opt in to vaccinating against some of the scariest diseases if they could get more detailed information out of their doctors on the risks, benefits, and unknowns.
Here is my reasoning behind being strongly in favor of Covid vaccinations. Everything written here still holds true–what’s changed since it was written is that all of the interviewees, myself included, have received two vaccine doses. The baby boomers experienced no side effects, and Daylon and I both felt fluish for a day or so after our Moderna shots.
What About Vaccinating Kids?
Many of you have asked what I plan to do about my kids (Felix is turning 12 in September). This may be another unpopular opinion, but I am not particularly worried about my children contracting Covid. We take many other risks that have a greater chance of resulting in serious harm, statistically speaking. I will, however, get both of my sons the Covid vaccine when they become eligible in order to:
- reduce the odds that they will spread the disease to someone vulnerable;
- prevent them from becoming long-Covid patients;
- ensure that neither of them is an incubator for the next, potentially worse, variant;
- move us closer to herd immunity, and thus a return to normalcy.
I don’t love the idea of my kids getting this shot. But given all the options, vaccination is the one about which I feel most comfortable. Here’s a post I found useful during my decision-making process.
Why I Am Being Vocal About This…
I’ve been disappointed to see so many other bloggers in the natural parenting space staying quiet about the vaccine. I assume either they are not getting the shot but are unwilling to admit it, or they are afraid that coming out in favor of the vaccine will cost them followers. And cost them it will; every time I write about this topic I get hundreds of angry emails and people canceling their orders from our store. One of you even snail-mailed me about nine pages of QAnon literature, which I admit I couldn’t get the whole way through.
In general, though, I like receiving your comments–I read every single one of them and am always open to the possibility that I’ll learn something or adjust my position. I’ve watched the Christiane Northrop videos, and I’ve read what Dr. Mercola says on this topic. So far, none of it has changed my mind or made me worry that the Covid vaccines are likely to be dangerous. But please do continue to send along the information that you’re finding convincing. (And if you’re not finding the conspiracy theories convincing, please go get the vaccine!). Also, this is not a sponsorte
