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Original poster

Teenager refusing vaccination

157 replies

Hueandcry · 14/12/2021 22:58

My older teen has refused to be vaccinated. It's causing endless arguments between us. Please help me deal with this

OP posts:
XenoBitch · 14/12/2021 22:59

Do you know why?

It is ultimately their decision, and arguing wont change their mind. Sometimes they need to reach the decision on their own.

mummymeister · 14/12/2021 23:01

one of my dc got covid in late May a few days before their first vax was due. now has long covid which is massively debilitating, still no sense of taste or smell, in their late teens and needs to have 10 hours sleep and an afternoon nap. wouldnt wish this on anyone elses child. covid if you are unvaxed is bloody brutal and not sure why anyone would risk it. no one has any idea how many months or years this post viral is going to last either so no planning for the future possible.

maddy68 · 14/12/2021 23:01

My son is refusing too. I think that's fair enough

parietal · 14/12/2021 23:02

look up the vaccine phobia threads and have some sympathy. the action of doing something difficult / painful to avoid a (possibly distant) harm is very counter-intuitive. And often people don't want to admit a fear of needles, so trying giving support rather than arguments.

Ledkr · 14/12/2021 23:20

My dd has too. Its her choice I'm. Not bothered. I also think it's wrong to threaten them with losing their social life if they don't have one.
She had covid quite badly and a bit do long covid too.

riveted1 · 14/12/2021 23:22

@Hueandcry

My older teen has refused to be vaccinated. It's causing endless arguments between us. Please help me deal with this
It's his choice ultimately and he can always change his mind.

I'd want to know why, and make sure he's not making this decision based on misinformation. Direct him to some evidence based resources and just ask him to read them through to see if there was anything he was mistaken about.

RedHot22 · 14/12/2021 23:23

Please don’t argue about it and respect their decision. One of my DCs has refused to have it too.

TheOccupier · 14/12/2021 23:24

Book a holiday of a lifetime to a place with strict vaccination requirements.

Tee20x · 14/12/2021 23:24

You deal with this by accepting his decision. You don't own him and are not in a position to be arguing with him over the medical choices he makes.

You've made your stance clear, arguing with him or nagging will just lead to resentment and further refusal.

BurntO · 14/12/2021 23:25

There is absolutely no point in arguing about it. Just don’t mention it. You can’t force them.

Skips123 · 14/12/2021 23:30

@TheOccupier

Book a holiday of a lifetime to a place with strict vaccination requirements.
Try and bribe your child into having the vaccine? Lovely.

Do you work for the government by any chance? Hmm

HelenC123 · 14/12/2021 23:31

My son has refused it and tbh I cannot argue with him. I don’t really know what’s best myself.
I’ve had the vaccine but I’m an adult and have had a life, I have teenage children. But my children are young and only just starting out.
My current view is that teenagers are only been asked to have the vaccine to benefit the wider population.
I don’t personally know of any young people that have been seriously ill with Covid and we don’t truly know the side affects of the vaccine.
The Astrazenica was thought to be safe, yet they now they aren’t using it…who knows????
I say if they are older enough to decide let them choose.

AnotherMansCause · 14/12/2021 23:32

You can't force them. Just make sure they know the risks of long covid are very real, and not insignificant, even for young people.

SickAndTiredAgain · 14/12/2021 23:33

How old?

You’re unlikely to be able to persuade them with endless arguments. But what are their reasons? Phobia? Don’t think they need it? Or full conspiracy theory about microchips? If it was the latter I’d be more worried about them being taken in by something like that than about the lack of vaccine.

GiveMeNovocain · 14/12/2021 23:33

What are you achieving by arguing with him? If it was me and my mum I'd dig my heels in even more as a teen. Just shrug and say fine and put him in charge of keeping a stock of lfts for when he needs them. There's nothing you can do and you've turned it into a power play you can't win. Ease off and maybe he'll change his mind but either way you'll have one less point of conflict.

SerenTarot · 14/12/2021 23:36

His life, his choice, no need for 'endless arguments'.

To be vaccinated or not is a personal choice (at the moment). Most will get vaccinated, some won't - my sister being one. Do I argue with her over it? Nope. I just quietly go and get my jabs.

PestoSugarPlumFairy · 14/12/2021 23:39

@TheOccupier

Book a holiday of a lifetime to a place with strict vaccination requirements.
How bloody nasty.
PestoSugarPlumFairy · 14/12/2021 23:43

This reply has been deleted

Message deleted by MNHQ. Here's a link to our Talk guidelines.

riveted1 · 14/12/2021 23:45

@PestoSugarPlumFairy

It has been established that the risk of myo/periocarditis is higher from coronavirus infection itself (and tends to be more severe) than it is from vaccination in teenagers.

gsaoej · 14/12/2021 23:46

Just forget about it. Teens are rarely ill with covid. If the refuser was 40+ it’d be more worthy of a conversation.

riveted1 · 14/12/2021 23:46

You're also contradicting both the JCVI (Overall, the committee is of the opinion that the benefits from vaccination are marginally greater than the potential known harms) and the CMOs in the UK

bigyellowTpot · 14/12/2021 23:47

his body, his choice please respect his decision. Its really not worth falling out over.

Aquamarine1029 · 14/12/2021 23:47

Back off and leave him alone. Arguing and badgering him will accomplish nothing.

carrythecan · 14/12/2021 23:50

You respect their decision. The vaccine is not without risk, so I fully understand why any young person would weigh up the pros and cons and decide that the possible risk of Covid is less than the risk of possible harm from the vaccine.

I am not anti vax, have had 2 jabs myself, and have one teen who has had 2 jabs and one who is still unvaccinated. Completely their choice.

SickAndTiredAgain · 14/12/2021 23:54

@PestoSugarPlumFairy well yes, I wasn’t attempting to list every single possible reason. And I was mainly asking out of curiosity, I am extremely anti mandatory vaccination of any sort but would be concerned if a close family member started talking about microchips and bill gates trying to control us all, so was just wondering if OP knew the reason.