So last night we joined some friends from dd's school for dinner and shots must have come up during thier playdate before my arrival. The mom said that my dd told her she hasn't had any shots, so she asked me if that was true.
I live my life very honestly, and I don't think I could have lied to a woman I admire so much and am becoming close friends with, it just isn't in me, so I told the truth.
The couple looked at me with these eyes like they couldn't believe it and asked why. I think they were hoping I would sound ignorant, paranoid, and anti-science, the way the media portrays non-vaxers. And in hindsight, maybe I should've tried to play into their comfort zone by doing so.
Instead, I have like many of us here on these boards, five years of research and extensive reading on the subject and would feel very comfortable making a rational and calm case to Paul Offit if I had to on why I made the best choices for my family. I have no fear of diseases and no fear of the vaccines, 100% satisfaction with our decision and 0% fear, and I think I take for granted how rare that is.
So I tried diplomatically to tell my story of how crazy I thought it was to be skeptical of vaccines before I got pregnant but my reading to indemnify them only left me more and more suspicious. Then I used our own health history of autoimmune issues and genetic predisposition as my main concern. I was trying not to make them defensive about their decision to choose vaccinating on schedule as delicately as I could.
I am supposed to pick up their daughter next, and I am almost waiting for them to cancel on me for some bogus reason. I feel so vulnerable and exposed, and I didn't know I would be outed so easily.
You would have thought I had suggested we switch partners for the night or some other over the top crazy awkwardness after that.
Our kids are all best friends in this tiny, tiny school. Writing them off if they freaked out is not an option, nor my style. It has to be dealt with.
Have others navigated these waters gracefully and have good advice or experiences to share?
I live my life very honestly, and I don't think I could have lied to a woman I admire so much and am becoming close friends with, it just isn't in me, so I told the truth.
The couple looked at me with these eyes like they couldn't believe it and asked why. I think they were hoping I would sound ignorant, paranoid, and anti-science, the way the media portrays non-vaxers. And in hindsight, maybe I should've tried to play into their comfort zone by doing so.
Instead, I have like many of us here on these boards, five years of research and extensive reading on the subject and would feel very comfortable making a rational and calm case to Paul Offit if I had to on why I made the best choices for my family. I have no fear of diseases and no fear of the vaccines, 100% satisfaction with our decision and 0% fear, and I think I take for granted how rare that is.
So I tried diplomatically to tell my story of how crazy I thought it was to be skeptical of vaccines before I got pregnant but my reading to indemnify them only left me more and more suspicious. Then I used our own health history of autoimmune issues and genetic predisposition as my main concern. I was trying not to make them defensive about their decision to choose vaccinating on schedule as delicately as I could.
I am supposed to pick up their daughter next, and I am almost waiting for them to cancel on me for some bogus reason. I feel so vulnerable and exposed, and I didn't know I would be outed so easily.
You would have thought I had suggested we switch partners for the night or some other over the top crazy awkwardness after that.
Our kids are all best friends in this tiny, tiny school. Writing them off if they freaked out is not an option, nor my style. It has to be dealt with.
Have others navigated these waters gracefully and have good advice or experiences to share?
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