H1N1...to vaccinate or not...that is the question.

This is the beginning of a long and arduous debate. I know what I am going to do with regards to my kids but I am still torn as to how the information is presented to parents these days. It is REALLY difficult for a parent to make a fully educated decision on the subject since every practitioner out there has a legal obligation to tell their patient to vaccinate. Or am I making it too simple?

But you get what I am saying, right? A doctor can't tell you not to get the vaccine for fear that your child will come down with swine flu and become extremely sick. So, to cover their butts, they advice everyone to get it...why not?! Well, I don't know about all of these vaccines. What about the mercury levels in this particular vaccine. Shouldn't parents be worried about that?

I want my kids to be safe and I know that I chose to put them in their car seats for that reason, but comparing the H1N1 vaccine to a seat belt seems kinda absurd. That is what a doctor did, he said that giving my kid the vaccine is like putting their seat belt on. The choice of safety. Hmm...I don't think there are any side effects to seat belts. And, I think seat belts are pretty darn proven. There is a lot of research to prove it. As far as these vaccine's go, I think a bit more research is warranted.

I vaccinate my kids. I do believe in many vaccines. But I also don't want to go overboard. I mean, when you think about it, were the chicken pox that bad? I got to stay home from school when my brother had them just so I would get them myself. When are we protecting too much? I let my son and daughter ride their trike and fall so that they know how to recover the next time. When is that the case with their health? I don't know the answers but I think a discussion on this topic is a healthy one.