Tag: risk

Why Can’t You Vaccinate Your Child Again?

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I can’t think of anything better to discuss considering we are in the middle of a measles outbreak. I’m not going to sit here and report every fact and figure that is already out there. I’m just going to state my opinion on the whole situation.

It sucks. It really does. There have been reported cases of the measles with 20 miles of where we live. Our kid is still below the age where she can be vaccinated for the measles. Which means she is at risk every time we go out somewhere because someone else didn’t vaccinate their child.

My husband and I aren’t overprotective. We took our 6 month old to India and just tried to keep her protected. She made it through the trip fine. We are the types who believe exposure will build up her immunity to a lot of things. When other outbreaks have happened, we speak with our pediatrician and see what the reality is of the situation.

The reality of this situation is that our child does go to locations and events that involve other young children who can’t be vaccinated yet. And none of us has any way of knowing if any of these children has been exposed to someone who has the measles.

Here’s my question. Why? Obviously, the idea that measles vaccination causes other diseases or developmental problems has already been proven wrong. Even if it did cause problems, the chances are so low that is it really worth taking the risk of having your child catch something that they could have been protected against?

I asked the following question of one of my mommy groups. If the risk of having problems with the vaccine is lower than the chances of your child being in a car accident (especially in Southern California), then why would you continuously put your child in a car but not get the vaccine? It doesn’t make sense to me.

We all want what’s best for our child. We want to protect them against as much as we can. I hate when she cries for anything. So why are we ignoring something that has obviously worked over so much time?

I’m so frustrated that I have to be careful of where I can take my baby to right now because a few people decided to ignore years of progress. And this question will come up again and again when we decide to put her in school and activities.

I come from a family where half of the people are doctors. My family comes from a country that would love to have all the vaccinations the US has for their children. Why do these parents take these vaccines for granted?

I don’t know what the solution to easily resolved problem is. How can you convince people who refuse to vaccinate their kids? I see the posts in my mommy groups and the debate goes on and on and on. The only thing I can think is that if it’s just one simple shot, why doesn’t everyone do it? If it’s shown to work, why is there so much of a fight? Why do we all run to believe people who aren’t qualified to give their opinions?

How can I protect my child against other people’s decisions?

Having Courage In The Face of Uncertainty

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It’s one of the hardest things to do. When you know something has the possibility of going wrong or bad and yet, you still try to make that thing happen. It’s scary. It’s hard to walk into that situation and know that things might not work out the way you want them to. It takes serious courage.

There are many risks we take in life. Risks that could cause us serious disappointment or pain. Yet, we take these risks anyways. Why?

Is it because we know if we can finally get what we want, we’ll be happier for it? What makes us put ourselves in a position to get hurt?

I see people do it all the time and I really admire and respect them. I think that they are some of the bravest people I know. The funny thing is that they don’t always realize what they are doing or how inspiring they are. They are just living their lives and doing what they need to do to be happy. But I watch them go against tradition, against what’s expected, just so that they live their lives the way they want to.

We never know what the plan is for us in life. We might breeze through with everything handed to us. We might have a lot of struggles and still come out good in the end. We can only follow the path that is in front of us. Sometimes, if something doesn’t make sense, it’s because we are meant to go in a different direction that we are unaware of.

Taking a risk is scary but hopefully, the rewards for taking it are well worth it.

Taking the Risk

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Have you ever had something that terrified you beyond belief but it’s something that would not leave your mind? Maybe it’s your mind and guts’ way of telling you that it needs to happen no matter how much it goes against logic. I’ve learned to trust my gut over the years but in reality, I’m still terrified whenever I make a big decision, especially since I know that the effects are way beyond me. 

Everything is a risk. Life is a risk. The only way to know if you can do something is by trying. The worst that can happen is you fail. And as scary as that sounds, it sounds even scarier to me to be in a place where you’re unhappy. 

Amazing things happen when people take risks. Everything innovative in the world was created through a vision and a dream. Knowing that helps when taking risks. Some of the best things that have ever happened to me were born out of leaving a miserable situation. 

I understand familiarity. Usually, that’s the reason I don’t quit things even if it’s for the better. It’s nice to be around consistency and familiarity. It’s nice to know that things are good. As long as they are good. As soon as they stop being good, there is an issue. That’s when change is needed. 

I wonder how many people actually do take the risk and make the change when needed. Do people tend to stay in their current situations because they are scared or do they take the leap and believe everything will be okay?