Why we get the Flu shot

I will say this first, our family does not advocate nor disagree with vaccinations. Many vaccinations are pretty good for stopping children from getting certain diseases and there are several when our children are very young that we make sure that they get. There are also a couple that our children will not get due to various reasons. This is our personal choice and we've never regretted it.

There are only two vaccines that our children must either get each year or get the boosters for when due because of health/safety reasons. One of them is the tetanus shot, we make sure that they are always up to date on this one because our children are clumsy and it only takes one rusty nail to cause a serious problem. The other one is the Flu shot.

Why do we make sure each and every one of us get the Flu shot every year? Well, many of you know that dear hubby is disabled and has some pretty severe lung issues. He gets the Flu shot every year to help ward off a trip to the hospital that would definitely happen if he got the Flu. Each of the children get it to help prevent the Flu from ever taking root in our home to help protect them and Daddy. I get it not only to help protect my husband and children but also for the fact that I have some pretty horrible sinus and allergy issues and end up with a pretty horrible case of bronchitis every year, I do not want the Flu on top of this. 

None of our children have ever had a severe reaction to any vaccine, they've had mild ones but never severe. I will not cite all of the articles and research papers out there on vaccines, I believe it is a personal choice that each parent needs to make. I will not express my deepest reasons for excluding certain vaccines from the list of ones the children are allowed to get, I would rather not have anyone base a decision of this magnitude on anything I say here. 

I would ask that those of you who have special needs family members who would be endangered by the Flu to seriously consider getting the Flu vaccine yearly. The virus used to create this vaccine is dead so you will not get the Flu from the vaccine. You may feel a bit ill or "off" for a few days but it's not the Flu, it is a mild reaction to the vaccine itself and will pass quite quickly. Nope, I'm not a doctor. My mother is a nurse, I used to be a CNA, and I do a lot of research on how to protect my family from problems I can foresee. 

Our decision was based on the needs of our family and we are at peace with it. We do not medicate or vaccinate unless we see a true reason to do such. Medicine has its place, vaccinations have their place, and in my humble opinion it is up to us as concerned adults to make sure that these things stay in their place. I do not judge those who do medicate nor do I judge those that don't use any vaccines or use them all. Each family must do what's right for them.