Sharing with my daughter her non-vaxed status

[janellesmommy]

My DH and I haven't vaccinated our 23 month old DD, and we never will. I have kept her non-vaxed status secret from my entire family, and most of my friends. I want to avoid all the arguments, hassle, ostracizing, etc. etc. I'm even reluctant to tell my AP/NFL friends because they could mention it to someone who isn't supportive.

I'm just wondering what I should do about sharing my daughter's own non-vaxed status with her when she gets to be school-aged. I wouldn't want her to feel like she is carrying around a deep dark secret, but I wouldn't want her to share the info with anyone, either. Many of you might be thinking that this isn't something that young children think about, but I was recently at the park with DD, when I overheard two girls, aged 5 and 6, discussing their "kindergarten shots." How many they received, and where on the body they were given.

[RosieTook]

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[wednesday]

I don't think I will tell my son until he is old enough to understand the need to be discreet. I am thinking much older than kindergarten.

[aira]

We will homeschool, so it's not quite the same... But I plan to wait until he asks about it. If he overhears something that piques his interest, I'll be happy to tell him what's appropriate for that age.

[ERSsmom]

I

[MPJJJ]

I would not tell my 5 year old about vaccines. If the subject comes up about other kids, just say something like "Sometimes other parents get shots for their children because they think it will keep them from getting sick. But we know that isnt true, so don't worry, you don't have to have any." There just doesn't seem to be any point in going in depth about vaccines at such a young age, it'll just go right over their little heads.

[mom2tig99Nroo03]

Originally Posted by MPJJJ

I would not tell my 5 year old about vaccines. If the subject comes up about other kids, just say something like "Sometimes other parents get shots for their children because they think it will keep them from getting sick. But we know that isnt true, so don't worry, you don't have to have any." There just doesn't seem to be any point in going in depth about vaccines at such a young age, it'll just go right over their little heads.

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[amnesiac]

My kids know that other people do things differently than we do & they're cool with it. My boys have been old enough for quite a while to know what I'm saying when they hear me discussing shots with the ped at check ups so there's no sense in trying to hide it or anything. They know they don't get them & they know why. My dd does know that her closest friend had to go get shots before kg & she didn't. She also knows that our health information is something private that we don't share with others and that it would really hurt her friend's feelings to know that she didn't have to go through what he did.

[LongIsland]

I agree . . . and kids have such big mouths too!

We have a religious exemption for him and I don't want his mouth getting us into any "trouble!" When the time comes, I want to tell him the real reason we don't vaccinate.

[Unoppressed MAMA Q]

we don't hide anything

i have been to court in indiana over my baby's vax free status and 'won'(Nobody really wins against child 'protection' services, but my kids remain vax free).
i'm not scared anymore, and i feel obligated to peacefully, honestly be an anti-vax voice in the world.
this includes my kids. i am working on a balance. my kids are one and two years old, so they're much too young to know what vaxs are. nonetheless, my two year old refers to the play needles in her friends' toy doctor kits as 'stabby stabby ouchie needles'.
this makes me laugh, and i have tried to curb her from yelling 'no shots for tots' in a crowded room, even though i get a giggle out of it.
we are not merely vax free, but fervently anti-vax. it was just affirmed for me yet again today when i read 'posessing the secret of joy' by alice walker (read it and everything else she has!).
i'm raising them with the idea that vaxing is a really bad idea, but it doesn't play much role in our day to day lives. i see no reason to be anything other than openly honest about it, with all people, pediatricians included. that said, my beliefs keep me encircled with cool, non-hateful people, and i think that that's a concept to live by.

[mattemma04]

My dd is 6 and I have told her that some parents choose to give vaccines to themselves and their child in hopes that it will help prevent them from getting a disease,and that sometimes it works and sometimes not.Sometimes nothing happens(no disease/no reactions),sometimes you get the disease,and sometimes you get sick from the vaccine.

I have told her that mommy and daddy were made sick by vaccines they got as grown-ups,and after reading more into the issue we have decided it was not a good idea to give these *shots* to them. She understands that vaccines are a choice just like we often choose to use herbs/vitamins instead of OTC meds from the store when we are sick.Every family has a different way(lifestyle) when it comes to healthcare, and their idea of what makes them *healthy*.

[mattemma04]

In regards to the doctor play kits and shots.My dd has always refered to the shots during play as a shot of vitamin C,lol.

[menudo]

DD is 8yo and was vaxed til age 4. Oddly, she loved gettign shots and was just odd in general about it all! LOL But we went to a meeting one night where not vaxing came up. She asked to speak (not knowing about what I said ok). She then blurted about how she will not get any more shots cause Mommy says blah blah blah" WOAH! They listen, trust me. She blew me away.

As for unvaxed DS, he thinks the toy shots are medicine syringes (he had to take something once). He thought his diabetic friends insulin shots were water being squirted onto his arm!

[applejuice]

I was never vaxed as a child, and I was quick to share this information with others. Unfortunately that is not a good idea, I quickly found out, so I have been very selective over my lifetime as to who knows this personal information.

I have told my children not to tell anyone about this...I kept tabs on their science classes and what they were being taught so that they would not get confused.

My children have done well in school and have been fairly popular, so I think I have done a good job so far.

[UUMom]

One of my children had two vax as a 15 yr old- nothing prior. He attended summer camps, school and sports camps his entire childhood without being vax'd at all and with his waiver. Two of my children have had no vax at all, and another was partially vax'd in her birth country.

They all know, they all know why-- the one with nothing is in 5th grade & has a waiver (the other nothing has never been to school) on file in his public school. I've experienced no problems at all with their waivers- which i have used for yrs and for various camps, state Early Intervention program, and public & private schools.

We don't have anything to be a fraid of, imo. I want my children to understand exactly what we do and why. Every state has exemptions. I understand that other people have has issues with the state or DSS. We've not, so I want to be 'out there' with our choice, so others know it' can be a safe path. I was never in the closet with anything like that. I will nurse toddlers in public etc, too.