For various reasons - not the least of which is that they wanted to try it out - we decided to put our remaining two children in a local Christian Academy this year.
We’ve homeschooled since 2001, and we don’t subject our children to vaccines. People might say that’s not good parenting, but our kids aren’t plagued by the issues that affect so many other children these days so I would argue otherwise.
Our kids are healthy and have strong immune systems. They are not overweight, have no medical conditions, and take no prescriptions. They are like children used to be when I was growing up.
To enroll them in school, however, we needed to either get them caught up on their vaccinations or request a waiver from the health department. (The only way you can bypass vaccinations is with a “religious” exemption, even if it has nothing to do with your religious beliefs).
So I went to the health department, wrote out the statements for each child, and then had to wait 30 minutes to have a “state mandated counseling session”, which amounted to a nurse telling me for 3 minutes what a good idea it is to have my kids vaccinated. This undoubtedly has a high success rate for 19 year old mothers who are too shy to say “no”, but it doesn’t have much affect on a grizzled old cynic like me.
But okay. I’ll jump through the hoops. Dot the “i’s” and cross the “t’s”. So I did.
They charged me $48. Twenty-four for each kid, neither of which was even there.
How’s that for a deal? It cost fifty bucks to not have anything done. Is it just me, or is it a strange world we live in when we not only have to pay to get something, but we also have to pay to not get it.
The funny thing, though? I would bet that there is some state program that would have allowed me to have each child fully vaccinated at no absolutely no charge.
Go figure.
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2 comments:
Some times I get in trouble for saying this....but I am really getting to hate this place.
Great work Blaine! You are truly the most punk rock parent I know.
PUNK THE SYSTEM!
Argh! I read this and kept thinking...surely this is not going to end up with him being charged for the obligatory guilt trip? I think I'd have refused to pay it. I seriously do. Where is there a law that says you are mandated to have a session with this person if you refuse vaccines for your children? I'd want to see it in writing and if it isn't mandated I think I'd have refused it. Did they tell you PRIOR to the session it was going to cost you for the 3 minutes? I'd be asking for my money back. :P That just the kind of gal I am - NOW that the SYSTEM has gone INSANE I figure I should push my OWN agenda at every turn :)
I believe all that session was INOCULATION to their system. NOW you know to not give them access for verbal vaccination in the future. You won't catch THAT particular diatribe in the future, will you?
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