I always dread doing this. Not because it hurts or because I think it isn't necessary. Getting the shot doesn't hurt and it is recommended. There are no severe side effects so the decision to get the vaccine is a no-brainer. The tough part is convincing my 5 year old of that. I take them in to the my employer's clinic since they offer free flu vaccines through our employer based health insurance. Normally they only have the shot available and my 5 year old dreads this. Today she was all in tears when I told her we needed to go in and get the vaccine. I caved and told her we'd go out for ice cream afterwards. This calmed her a little, but not much. The past two years we've left the clinic with her screaming bloody murder, which I'm sure scares the you know what out of anyone sitting in the waiting room!
I suppose I could take her to her normal pediatrician who always has the nasal mist in stock. There's no shot involved and my 5 year old has no problem with it. Unfortunately the nasal mist from the pediatrician is not covered fully through my insurance and I end up paying about $25 per child. Not a lot, but $50 for the two of them is $50 I'd rather use on something else, especially when I know they can get there flu vaccinations free somewhere else.
The good news was, that upon arrival at the clinic, for the first time in 3 years, they had the nasal mist in stock. You should have seen the huge wave of relief that swept over my daughter when she learned that she wasn't going to get a shot. The 2 year old on the other hand was not a fan of the nurse sticking something up her nose. She wailed away for a few minutes.
In the car on the way to the ice cream shop we chatted about why we get flu vaccines. My 5 year old understands that it is to help her from getting sick with the flu this winter, but the thought of a shot just overwhelms her better senses.
My advice is to get your flu vaccine. Get it for your kids. The fear of a shot lasts a few moments. The potential protection from getting the flu lasts an entire season. They may cry, but it's nothing ice cream can't fix!
As long as we feel healthy and eat right, many of us wouldn't really bother about getting a flu vaccine at all. It's a lot different when we have kids. We would care about them more than ourselves and we would be worried about them being sick. Getting a flu shot is a great investment for the whole family. It's ironic that being worried for our children does us good because flu shots ourselves is a good thing for us as individuals.
ReplyDeleteYep...when I was a childless adult I never got a flu shot. In fact, I went about 12 years between seeing a doctor for a standard physical. Now with kids, I make sure to get a physical every year, even if there's nothing apparently wrong with me. Having kids changes how you view your own health.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, Oskar. Kids are more prone to sickness, and for the fact that they can’t take care of themselves yet, they really need proper care and supervision from us. As a parent, we would want to see our children grow up healthy and happy! :D
ReplyDeleteAt times like this, it is really normal for us parents to hear some questions from our kids, like why do we need to do this, that, and so on. Children are usually like this. They want to know more that they can’t even help but ask even the weirdest question you can possibly think of! ;)
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