To think its wrong to try and make your child ill for your convenience?

[LittleMissGerardButlerfan]

I can't believe there are people who would willingly let their child catch something for their convenience like chicken pox, because it suits them to have it then!

Yes children catch things, and it's inconvenient sometimes with work etc. but am I wrong to think its mean to deliberately expose your child to an illness?

My
bil aged 35 caught chicken pox off dd and he was really poorly. My mil always kept him away/off school when they were going round when he was little. I have never seen anybody so bad, and of course he was a mummys boy.
I wouldn't go out of the way for my dc to catch them, nor would I avoid as it is far better to have them when younger.

I don't think it's for convenience at all! I was so relieved when both DC caught it at a young age. I never had CP as a child despite my mother doing her best to expose me to it. I grew up completely paranoid of catching it as an adult! In general, it is much worse in adults. Yes, I know there are exceptions for both adults and children and yes, I know it is possible to catch it more than once, however, the odds are that a case in a child will be less severe than one in an adult.

I was exposed when I was newly pregnant with DS and that sent me into a new panic. Fortunately a blood test showed that I had built up natural immunity to it so I'm no longer paranoid.

I can't express how glad I am that my children had it young.

I have never had CP and when DS got them he was also co-sleeping and I still didn't get them.

Trazzle, when there are cases of chicken pox nursery put a sign up on the door - seeing as they are contagious before spots come out you'd think they would get it. Funnily enough there's been SO many cases over last few years & DD has never got it! Nurse told me she could be immune interestingly! I must admit I panic at the sight of a tiny spot if its before we go on holiday, just in case.

I personally wouldn't deliberately take my kids to have contact with another child with it (I make myself feel guilty enough as it is about parenting) I'd prefer them to contract it naturally so to speak. A bit more like fate. But I understand why people do want them to catch it & I def don't think it's for convienince, most people have their child's best Intrests at heart x

In the thread referred to, the OP specifically asks about allowing her son to contract CP so she can get it out of the way before she starts a new job, hence the question of convenience.

VixZen

"I couldn't cope with the guilt of knowing I'd deliberately exposed my child to infection albeit with the best of intentions, if they then went on to develop those complications."

I think what you've just described is vaccination. I assume you don't vaccinate any of your kids?

I was seriously ill with chicken pox as a child. Horrible.

Think dd had it with only 2 spots, so not quite sure whether that even counts!

Where's the original thread please? Link anyone?

original is in chat - something about london

I wish people who do this could have seen the little girl on NICU, who lost her ability to walk, eat, move her arms, generally do anything... she was 'lucky' to recover (it was touch and go for weeks), but she has never been the same and it took her 3 years to walk again - chicken pox is not always just a 'harmless childhood illness'.

As Scribble points out, it is a form of vaccination. It was the only form when I was a child - my chicken pox was severe, and I was taken to catch it. These illnesses are dangerous, nobody's said they aren't. But they're more dangerous in adulthood than childhood.

Not vaccinating your children at all, either by letting them catch it or by injection, is socially irresponsible imo (herd immunity controversy), plus you're leaving them exposed to potentially much worse infection as adults.

CChicken pox was definitely a contributing factor in my sons autism. GP said that it has been known too. He was 9 mo when he got chicken pox. Chicken pox parties make me angry.

We were on holiday a few weeks ago & there was a young child in the indoor pool with full on chicken pox. DS2 (who has had cp & was very unwell with it) has a compromised immune system so we left as soon as we had noticed them. Nevertheless a few days later he became unwell with blisters on his ear & inner ear only, he had a high temperature & our GP felt that if was related to either the herpes or CP virus.
Fast forward another few days and my perfectly fit & healthy step son was admitted to hospital with viral meningitis. The tests showed that it was in reaction to the CP virus. He must have touched my DS' ear.

It's been an awful few weeks for everyone & I cannot wait to get DS3 vaccinated.

I'd like dd to get mumps now before she gets any older.

If she doesn't get it in the next six months she's going to have to get vaccinated. The immunity from the vaccine won't be as long lasting as natural immunity according to my GP.

As I understand it, the risk of hospitalisation with CP is below 0.5%. The risk of death is lower still. Adults are far more at risk from serious complications.

The vaccine is not 100% effective at about 70-90% with around a 5% chance of developing serious CP. Longevity is varied with the best success in countries where there is a lower uptake and thus high natural occurrence/repeated exposure.

By vaccinating you are still deliberately exposing your child to a serious illness. One they could catch later anyway.

We all take similar risks with our children all the time, weighing up the risk factors as we see them. Everyone's risk assessment is different - that doesn't necessarily mean it's wrong.

FFS exposure to the wild infection is not the same as vaccination. The whole point of vaccination is to stop developing the disease if exposed to the wild virus.

TBH I think I'd like DD to get chicken pox while shes little. My mum never had it as a child and now suffers terribly from shingles. They come up whenever she's stressed or run down and are very painful.

I'd rather DD have a few weeks of being rough and uncomfortable when she's little rather than having to go through what my mum does when she's bigger.

Not sure I'd take her to a chicken pox party though.

sparkle your mum must have had chicken pox. Shingles is a reactivation of the chicken pox virus. You can't get shingles without having had the virus in your system.