I have two healthy daughters neither of which have been vaccinated. I suppose Joslin came to the same conclusion as my wife and I did that there was no need to rush into preemptively injecting our underdeveloped children with potentially harmful synthetic chemicals. We aren't against modern medicine in fact both of our children were born in hospitals and we have one down the street from our house. If they get sick we can simply take them there to be treated if and when the time comes. If you think logically about many of the vaccinations they are for diseases that our children are not going to be exposed to and if there comes a time they will be exposed we can decide at that point to vaccinate. Obviously I'm not going to judge anyone on their decisions pertaining to their children both those who choose to vaccinate or not to vaccinate have good intentions. I just had this conversation with another parent yesterday in fact and its fascinating how polarized this discussion has come on both sides. I suppose its a testament to where we are as a society today.
The fact of the matter is, it's all about where we are in life at the time the decision has to be made. At the time my eldest daughter was conceived and for that year I was was in the process of drastically changing my lifestyle and diet as a person who has always been overweight my entire life. I had lost 100lbs in the span of 10 months just eating clean and real foods opposed to processed junk and I was and still am 6 years later all about not putting anything synthetic into my body and it changed my life in such a positive way I wanted the same for my family and daughter so thats the perspective I was coming from. I'm not discounting modern medicine whatsoever but I will admit I am apprehensive to trust the pharmaceutical industry. You can flame me and Joslin all you want but the fact is no one really knows whats best, they make the best judgement they can based off their experience. Just as every kid that is vaccinated does not become autistic, unvaccinated kids don't instantly get polio. Those are simply the extremes on both sides.
I spoke to my daughters doctor 2 days ago for her yearly check up and they had 8 shots they "recommended" but even her doctor said the only one she felt would really be beneficial given where we live and my daughters exposure was the measles vaccine. That is pretty telling in itself and any "normal" parent would just get all 8 shots for their kid even though the doctors themselves know that their patients unless they are traveling to a third world country or routinely play in pools of hepatitis laden blood will never be exposed. I told her I would discuss the measles shot with my wife, simple as that.
Where I live in Virginia kids don't have to be vaccinated to be in school but from my experience public school was trash and torture so I don't want to do that to my kids. We have our daughter in Montessori school and she's just fine. I don't home school but Gipper might want to look at the statistics of home school educated children versus public school educated children before he spouts off more bullshit about them being "stupid". I work from home so I'm with my daughters everyday and take them everywhere with me, to the park and to library story time as well as read to both of them every night for at least 30 minutes. When they aren't with us they are in camps and classes with other kids.