Alright, I already know this is a touchy subject. But as you can tell by the title, we decided to give our nine-year-old the recently approved Pfizer vaccine for 5-11-year-olds. If you’re totally against vaccinations, this post isn’t for you. Check out my latest self-care posts instead!
And if you want to see our fun weekend vlog where TJ talks about the decision himself, check out our YouTube video!
#1: We want to go on vacation without additional restrictions
I mean, this is the biggest reason. It may seem shallow, but its our truth. We have found it difficult to plan for vacation excursions as a mixed vaxxed family. Don’t get me wrong, we had an awesome time on the Oasis of the Seas in October, especially because it was a new class of ship and new class of stateroom for us. But we only got off the ship one day of the seven day cruise. And that was entirely due to the fact that we were traveling with an unvaccinated minor. So for our family’s safety while traveling, it just makes sense to get him vaccinated.
#2: He wants to continue playing sports
Even though our son’s baseball league has not mandated it yet, I know by spring there will be some requirements for either testing or vaccination in order for him to play baseball. And we can’t miss another season. We are already behind from having to cancel the 2020 season, so we have been working hard to get back on track for 2021. If the league requires vaccination cards in order to participate in the spring, we don’t want to be unprepared.
#3: School classrooms are getting shut down for positive cases
I wrestled with the idea of continuing distance learning for TJ this school year. But the truth is, I was concerned about him being able to effectively keep up with his classmates. He needs the immersion that school gives him because, frankly, there are too many distractions at home. Plus I need the daytime to get my own work done. And with my office uncertain about how long we will remain remote, I couldn’t guarantee that I would be able to give him the resources he needed to thrive academicall at home.
So I shipped him off to school with a mask, some hand sanitizer, and a plea to the universe that his close proximity to other unvaccinated children would not get him infected.
At least with the vaccination, I will feel slightly better about him being in a school full of kids.
#4: We are less likely to infect each other
Poor TJ has been living the last several months surrounded by fully vaccinated adults, and he admits that he worries we could make him sick by being vaccinated when he is not. On the other hand, he admits that going to school everyday could expose him to the virus, and he could bring it home to us, causing a breakthrough infection.
These aren’t the worries a child should have to think about, and the easiest solution we see is becoming a fully vaxxed family.
#5: He asked for it
It’s really that simple. At nine, almost ten years old, he has the capacity to read, research, and comprehend that the power to stay healthy and end this pandemic lies in our individual decisions to get vaccinated. We have talked about it, read about it (including articles that do NOT agree with vaccinating children), and he ultimately made his decision for himself. Our job as his parents are to supply him with the resources necessary to make a fully-informed decision, and this is what he chose.
Here are a few (of the MANY) articles we read as a family before making this decision:
- COVID-19 Vaccines for Children and Teens, Centers for Disease Control
- FDA Authorizes Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine for Emergency Use in Children 5 through 11 Years of Age, US Food and Drug Administration
- COVID Vaccine: What Parents Need to Know, Johns Hopkins Medicine
- The COVID-19 vaccine and kids. Your questions answered, Public Broadcasting Service
- Many Parents Won’t Vaccinate Their Kids. Here’s Why, The Atlantic
Have you decided to get your children vaccinated? What was the major reason for your decision?
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