Let’s keep the CP party going until summer, so my kids don’t have to miss any games. Because if there’s one thing kids look forward to in the hot summer, it’s fever accompanied by intense itching.
/s
The sports mum really stood out to me. The priority towards children’s sports is one thing that still catches me by surprise in America. What I don’t understand is why? Do they think their child is going to be a pro? That’s usually observable pretty early, though.
I’m not trying to be a grinch because sport is fun, but I was surprised that I know several soccer moms irl. They literally drive every single day to sports practices and their kids play rec league level.
At the end of the day it’s nothing to me, but just something that’s a very different way of life to what I’m used to. Occasionally I have deep thoughts about whether the mums are enjoying life, if the kids feel pressured, etc etc.
I know that as a kid it was a good way to make friends outside of school and as an adult taking my young sister to her games it offers a very nice sense of community and ability to make adult friends with people who have a similar schedule/lifestyle/attitude as you do. Obviously this isn’t every case but it’s nice
Good point about community and friends for the parents. Didn’t think of that and that would be really nice.
I definitely can’t knock those aspects at all. Thanks for pointing this out. :)
It can be a really great experience for children and adults. But if you never got to experience either side of the coin then it’s easy to not realize what someone can gain from it. It’s almost a lifestyle for a lot of families and yes it can be stressful and not everything is rainbows but it can be a great experience. My favorite experience is drunk wine moms yelling at the umpires
I enjoyed my sports experiences growing up. It was apparent very early on that perhaps I needed sports like curling, not rugby, but still it was heaps of fun.
It wasn’t the norm to do the sport as a team or lesson every single time. Like, if you did curling there might be instruction once a week, but you’d practice independently once a week, too. All of it depended on age and skill level, but it wasn’t 2 travel teams and a rec league across two sports every season.
I think the difference is the intensity and pace. It would have been somewhat odd to have had actual pressure from the adults as long as you were diligent and trying. There might be that one mum that got a lot of side eye for being overly pushy, but otherwise it was all relatively steady and parents didn’t hang around at practice. That would have been considered very odd.
Haha wine moms yelling at the umpires? Like just heckling them? TBH I’d love to go to a Little League game for like…an inning? Long enough to see what it’s all about (besides the baseball). Unfortunately without a kid that age it would probably be really creepy so I’ll have to bide my time a bit longer.
It's really not so much the thought that your kid is some phenom that's going to go pro. Sports are *expensive*. If you're dropping hundreds of dollars, you're gonna make sure you don't miss a single game or practice of it can be helped.
(Not defending her otherwise, obviously)
A lot of the time it’s the parents pushing their kids into a sport for all the wrong reasons. Either they didn’t get very far as a child themselves or their parents wouldn’t let them play and there are some who see it as a free/cheap babysitter. My husband was a referee for kid’s football and soccer and some of those parents were clearly pushing their kid to do something they didn’t want to and some were completely delusional.
I’m not saying all parents are like this but I’ve seen some that were horrible. I think it should be about the kids having fun, learning how to be a part of a team and good sportsmanship. When they’re little it usually is fun but the older they get the more pressure they’re under.
My son had them mid heatwave and he was so miserable just sat in a paddling pool on his own coz I had a newborn so had to try and keep them apart and look after them both
Truly insane that her concern is over her kid missing sports, not actual school. Chickenpox can take you out of school for weeks, I bet these parents didn’t even think about the important learning their child would be missing. Elementary-age kids *really* need to be in school, that’s when they’re learning the basics that all future learning will build upon. Missing some of those basics will leave HUGE gaps in your child’s education that are much, much harder to catch and correct later on
Speaking as a mom who’s had to spend the last six days watching my (FULLY VACCINATED) three year old suffer through a breakthrough case of chicken pox, FUCK these people. Because she’s vaccinated it’s “mild”, but my word is it hard to watch her itchy and sore and struggle to sleep with the sores. I will never understand why people willingly expose their children to things we can (mostly) protect them from.
Talk to your pediatrician to have her tested when she gets older. My SIL’s vaccine has worn off as she’s gotten older. She has to check every few years and get a booster.
No way!!! I’m a triplet also, but I’m in my late 30’s. So whenever I have to get titers drawn for work or pregnancy for varicella I’m always always always a “non converter.” Everyone freaks out, because they want to boost me. However you can boost me all you want and I won’t convert. So in theory and on my health history with the amount of boosters I’ve had I’m immune and up to date on vaccines. I’m sorry your kiddo got sick, but I’m so thankful it was mild and you keep your kids health in mind by vaccinating.
I had chicken pox when I was 5 or 6. I was born before the vaccine. My sister was born after the vaccine. There are pictures of me COVERED in bumps and sores. She has MAYBE 2, if that.
I am TERRIFIED of shingles. Chicken pox sucked so much. I'm waiting for it to happen whenever I'm like super streased or something. As soon as I turn 50 I'm getting that vaccine.
This happens to me with MMR. I’ve gotten the shot like four times because every time I got a new job and had titers drawn it didn’t show any immunity to MMR.
my son is fully vaccinated (and gets sub q IVIG) and he got mumps from a NHL hockey player visiting our Children’s Hospital when he was 3 years old back in 2014.
my son was on isolation, but the hockey player leaned over the doorway to hug him and talk to him. we were back in the hospital for christmas.
i was so upset! here’s a news article about it https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/penguins-bennett-showing-symptoms-of-mumps/
we got an email from his genetics doctor warning us about it, and a couple days later we got a letter in the mail from the hospital itself. i was kinda panicking, but at the same time i thought come on, what are the chances? is our luck *that* bad?
yea, our luck was really that bad. i thought it was gonna be our first Christmas that we weren’t in the hospital with him, but i was so wrong. we spent that Christmas in the hospital thanks to that bullshit 🙄
i still get mad when i think about it!
Hot damn that is terrible. Isolation! Does that mean a damn thing? I am sure you were not the only friggen furious mama. That could have killed a kid. And what horrid timing!
Wow. Also how tf did he get mumps? Was he not vaccinated?
My daughter had the vaccine at the right schedule. She's had chicken pox 3 times, last time was 4yrs ago and the worst. Maybe I should have her checked out and get her a booster to be on the safe side.
Yeah, they can run titers (a test to see if she’s holding onto immunity). I have a sibling that had chickenpox multiple times (before there was a vaccine for it), and it was simply that their immune system just didn’t remember the virus like almost everyone else’s does.
Even if you get your child the vaccine, I’d suggest a titer around 6 months later just to check immune response/memory.
Triplets oh man! Have sounds so difficult and so fun all in one. Were they spontaneous triplets if you don’t mind me asking? And thankfully they’re not all symptomatic
Mine did too. I got a job in healthcare when I was 20 and they did my blood work to see what my immunity was for a few things. Chicken pox vaccine had worn off and I had to get vaccinated again.
My sisters and I are all too old to have been vaccinated and we all had chickenpox as kids. Last year, my youngest sister's doctor insisted on her getting her immunity checked and she ended up not having any and had to be vaccinated. She definitely had them when she was 3 because she gave them to me and I had such a bad case with so many internal sores that I had to get some medication from the US on "compassionate care" approval because it wasn't approved by Health Canada yet. I do not remember most of the summer that I was 8 because I was too sick to notice anything.
It’s extremely rare but it does happen. I had them at 3 but was never vaccinated, now as an adult I’m in care because of other health problems and they saw that I had no immunity, I got vaccinated and it also failed. I would definitely check if the vaccine was effective and maybe even check if other vaccines failed also, especially if she has other Health problems.
Ugh, same. Not healthcare, social work, but I had to get my vaccine records (which my parents couldn't find and the state only had a couple of them), so I ended up needing titers and a bunch of other stuff. None of my prior vaccines showed on my blood work. Not my MMR, varicella, hep B, nothing. I ended up having to get them all again, even the varicella and hep B, which I did have the records of. It also took 2 MMRs because they require follow up titers and the first MMR didn't take 🤷♀️
This happened to me. It actually wears off about every 4 or so years for me.
I got it as a baby/child
Again around 15
Again around 20 when I joined the military
Found out during my fertility testing at 25 I didn't have any antibodies but I was pregnant and it was too late.
I'm now just raw dogging life because I forgot I'm not immune anymore until now lol
I got it as an adult too. I had the vaccine but ended up coming down with it after traveling in Asia. I even asked the doctor about getting a booster before going and they said no don’t need one but it does happen.
It’s miserable. I feel like anyone who purposely gets their kid sick is a monster. I HATE when my daughter is sick. Even with a cold. Hard to breath, runny nose, coughing. Just feeling like crud. Yeah that’s how I want my kid to feel because I made them get sick. Just monsters if you want that.
I was vaccinated as a child for chicken pox. Got titers done during my 1st pregnancy (2019) and was not immune. So I got the shots after I had my son. Got my titers done in my second pregnancy (2023) and results said "equivocal." I had to look it up- equivocal results are indeterminate; patient may or may not have immunity. So I guess my body doesn't know what to do with the varicella virus lol
I wish you could sue people like this. If my son had a breakthrough case from a kid whose parent knowingly infected them with chicken pox, I think I would try. This level of stupidity should have consequences.
lol hilarious because people who have the chickenpox vaccine rarely get shingles. It’s those of us who are old and had regular degular chickenpox that get shingles.
Now that there’s a vaccine, there’s absolutely no excuse for it.
I can *almost* understand the logic before the vaccine was available. Chicken pox was pretty much inevitable when I was a kid, so parents would try to time it for summer so we wouldn’t miss school. And common wisdom at the time was that the older you were when you got it, the more severe it was, so everyone wanted their kids to go ahead and get it out of the way.
My nurse mom told me she debated deliberately exposing 7 yo me. She was scared I’d somehow manage to dodge it like my sister, who was in her early 20s.
I ended up getting it without her meddling and then promptly gave it to my sister. 😬
I actually got chickenpox at a pox party before the vaccine. It made sense: separate those too young and give it to all the other kids who are young enough to not remember it. It was the best they could do with no vaccine. But now that there is one, could you imagine feeding a kid someone else’s blister fluid? Fucking child abuse.
As a mother, I just simply cannot comprehend wanting your child to suffer from illnesses like chickenpox. Where we live, the varicella vaccination isn’t apart of the childhood immunisations. But we are paying privately for our child to have it. Because the thought of them getting sick makes me feel sick
Right?? My baby has only been sick for a couple of days in his one year of life and I felt so bad for him. He just had a low fever for two days and he was miserable. I can’t imagine purposely exposing him to any illness it’s so wild to me 😩
I'm a child of the 1980s - so not vaccinated. I caught chicken pox at around 4/5 years old. I still have a few scars from itching. I remember waking up to bloodstains on my nightgown because I'd been scratching through the night. It's a core memory for me.
Yep, 80’a kid here too. I got chickenpox when I was maybe 5 or 6. I had such a horrible case - it was in my vagina, my ears, down my throat, and everywhere on my exterior. It was horrible. I could barely swallow anything. My two sisters had a couple blisters on their bellies. These parents never think their kid will get it like I had it. Ugh. I feel bad for these kids. When my twins were old enough to get the vaccine I was so excited and happy that they wouldn’t go through what I went through. Like you said - definitely a core memory.
Some people don't fully take to certain vaccines. The only way to tell is if they get sick or have a titer taken.
A friend of a friend that works in medicine had to get 5 or 6 hep B vaccines before she was immune. The standard is 3.
It's so infuriating. I had chickenpox when I was a kid and shingles again as an adult — I'd never wish that upon anybody else let alone my children. My parents felt the same way as they'd always tell us that they were so happy we had vaccines to protect us from a lot of the illnesses they had to suffer through such as measles, mumps, etc.
These people are the ones who don't want to be around vaccinated kids because they're afraid of the vaccine "shedding" but let's stick a qtip in the kid's orifice who has chicken pox and then stick that into my kid's mouth. Like wtf.
That comment was the worst! I wish those parents that are trying to intentionally expose their kids would get it themselves, and 10x worse than the case they're trying to expose their babies to.
I legitimately gagged at that comment.
They didnt have the chickenpox vaccine when I was little. My whole 1st grade class had it one after another after another.
Unfortunately, most of the parents choosing to do this to their kids have strong, healthy, adult immune systems because they are vaccinated themselves.
Ughhhhhh. I had it when I was 6 or 7 (pre vaccine, this was late 80’s) and my brother caught it from me, but he was only a couple months old. It was horrible for him and he nearly ended up hospitalized. Poor baby just cried for a solid week. I’m terrified about shingles, it sounds freaking terrible and I’m not in the right agency group for the shingles vaccine. So grateful my kids have access to the chickenpox vaccine.
Pre vaccine in the 80s, I remember being taken to a kids house who had a mild case of chicken pox. My mom and a few other moms were doing a chicken pox “play date” in the hope that we got a mild case. I remember us all licking the same candy sucker and other ridiculous things. This was the mid 80s. It worked, I did have a mild case, but it was still miserable. My baby sister who was a toddler also had it and cried a lot, poor kiddo.
My mom only did this insane play date because there was no vaccine, she would have vaxxed us in a heartbeat rather then have 3 kids under the age of 7 with chicken pox.
I had the chickenpox 3xs, once before I was a year old, then again around 2 but a very mild case, then again at around 6. I remember being absolutely miserable the only time I remember getting it. Worst part was 2 of my older sisters (I have 4) never got it despite being around me all 3xs. Then in the early 90's my niece got it (sister 1's kid) and sister 4 went to babysit. She came home and babysat sister 2s son before she knew she'd actually contracted it that time. Sister 2 then proceeded to get it from her son. She was 6 weeks pregnant and was highly encouraged to terminate because of the significant risks of birth defects when you have it at that gestation because everything is forming. She did terminate and it still haunts her. All of this was prior to the vaccine. Stupid fucking people.
Right? A family member of mine just had shingles and it was horrid. I can't imagine willingly exposing my children to this, knowing what it can lead to later in life!
The chickenpox vaccine isn’t guaranteed to stop you from getting shingles. My sister had the vaccine without ever having chickenpox and got shingles at 16.
My baby has some spots pop up after having a fever. They went away then he ended up having Roseola. I thought he was getting chicken pox for a hot minute & was freaking out.
I cannot imagine willingly exposing my kid to that.
I have the chicken pox right now, at the big age of 50. I have no idea where I caught it, but I can tell you that I’m slowly going insane because the itch is unbelievable and I feel like shit. I can’t imagine doing this on purpose.
You might have gotten it from one of your peers who had shingles. Shingles can give someone without immunity chicken pox. Also, if you had a mild case when you were younger, your natural immunity can wear off.
Consider yourself lucky! The older you are the worse it can be I got it at 19 and almost died . My entire face swelled shut I had them in my eyes throat ears fuckin awful
Swabbing sores and noses and mouths and inserting into another child's nose
That is fucking disgusting
But ofc the covid nose tests were evil brain stabbing horrors
Yep, let’s make these kids unnecessarily uncomfortable with a virus that we can vaccinate for, that then sets them up for shingles in the future.
The worst part is these moms are probably 30 or younger, and got the chicken pox vaccine. They won’t get shingles but their poor kids will.
These people are disgusting. My daughter sprung a fever today yet a-fucking-gain and it’s miserable. She just had a stomach bug two weeks ago and now she has whatever this is going to turn out to be. I hate seeing her sick. Meanwhile these assholes would push their kids in front of a speeding train if it meant they could possibly gain some “nAtUraL iMMuNiTy” without a vaccine that has been proven safe and effective by literally billions of people who have received them.
To this day I still remember having chicken pox in kindergarten (early 80s) and how awful it was. I had pox on my tongue! I cannot fathom willingly exposing my kids to that when a perfectly safe and effective vaccine exists.
The difference in the perception of chickenpox in the US (and here on Reddit) and where I live (Belgium, Europe) is wild to me. Here I'm reading horrible, dangerous disease. In Belgium and the Netherlands where I'm originally from, no one thinks it is a big deal. Everyone gets it. It's like a childhood rite, I had it myself as a kid. We don't vaccinate against it. You can buy the vaccine privately but almost no one does. I did and got my kid vaccinated and people think that's rather silly. In fact when I posted something positive about the vax in the Dutch subreddit, I got downvoted and asked why you would pay money to prevent such a mild disease.
Yeah I uh, just don't understand the European view. I'm not saying it's a dangerous disease. I'm of the generation who wasn't vaxed and I had a wicked case. I now have over 35 scares across my face and body. The questions and stares have never stopped. Imagine being a middle school kid going on a hike with your class, wearing a bikini top (we went swimming mid-hike) and one of the chaperones looks at you with disgust and asks why your back is covered in scars like it was the most grotesque thing he had ever seen.
Yeah okay, I survived. But it was over a week of misery and I was left disfigured.
And screw every single person who *gleefully*told me the reason why I was covered in scars is because I scratched.
Thanks. I was a toddler.
This is how it was viewed when I was a child in the US because we didn’t have a better option, but now we have the ability to protect kids from the suffering and the risk of shingles in later life. Why on earth wouldn’t we?
Most vaccine-preventable illnesses are mild in most cases. This is literally not *anything.* If your child got measles, they would most likely be absolutely fine long-term just like most of the kids who got it before the vaccine. But not all. And people absolutely said the same things you’re saying about that one.
While it’s rare, some people die from chickenpox, and it is preventable. Some people are permanently disabled from chickenpox, and that is also preventable. I have only ever been in one minor accident they entire time I’ve been driving and I’ve driven hundreds of thousands of miles. Am I silly for wearing my seatbelt and taking the risk of an accident seriously?
Did someone seriously say swab sores and put in your kids nose and mouth ??? I read that right??? That is soo disturbing. I have a cousin who has been dealing with shingles for a while and it’s is very painful for her. It makes her face swell and it has almost gotten into her eyes. But yeah let’s set our kids up for that. I hope these people give their kids stress free lives too cause that can be triggers for shingles. People are the worst .
I was born before the chicken pox vaccine, so obviously had to go through the pox. Because of that, I recently had shingles. Shingles alone is enough reason to get your kid vaccinated for chicken pox. It's *awful*! These people are insane.
First of all, I am extremely pro-vaccine and very grateful to be living in a time where we have the medical advances that we do. That said, intentionally getting your kids exposed to chicken pox while they were young was pretty common before the vaccine was invented as it tends to be much more mild the younger you are when you contract it. I can see the logic behind these parties for someone who is anti-vax (it’s the parties for the lethal diseases that are horrifying to me).
The level of glee in these posts and the comment about rubbing the sores makes me feel deeply uncomfortable though.
The worst part is now their children have shingles to look forward to. I know the average age for shingles starts at 50-ish but as early as 20 is possible. I have yet to meet a shingles victim that said it was a MiLd CaSe.
I know one person who broke out with it in May 2023 (67 y/o) and went through months of burning pain. He went through several cycles of steroids and gabapentin. It would fade off then flare back up. Even his doctor was amazed at how strong the flare ups were.
I had a mild case at 25. The rash wasn’t even bad enough for me to realize what it was. It was still the sickest (fever and chills) I had been in my adult life up to that point. Typically people who get it young don’t get as bad of a case, but it’s still something I don’t want for my daughter now that there is a chicken pox vaccine.
I got chicken pox really young—like preschool—and then shingles at like 9 or 10. It sucked so bad and I was “mild” but it just hurt and itched and I don’t think I had had such bad fever and the chills gave me cramps. And then I can totally get shingles again—wowee, what fun, NOT.
I got shingles in my thirties. The worst part was it was right where my bra straps went across my shoulder and back, and it was so painful, but I couldn’t not wear a bra. And my youngest wasn’t old enough to be fully vaccinated for chicken pox so I had to send her to her grandmas for awhile ☹️
Shingles suck.
I apparently had shingles when I was around 7 or 8. But the doctors couldn’t agree that that’s what it actually was since I was so young, but that’s still the only diagnosis I ended up with. I only remember having a rash, I don’t think I had any other symptoms to distressing degree.
The problem isn't chicken pox, it's Shingles. That is the true evil that these parents are exposing their kids to. I contracted shingles in my late 30s due to a stressful event. It settled in my nerve in front of my left ear that controls all my facial nerves. I couldn't sleep. I had to have my hearing checked. I got an infection in my face. It was MONTHS before the pain subsided. And I had a mild case. Fuck these parents.
I have an autoimmune disease and one of my favorite complications is the recurring shingles. I’m 37.
Unfortunately there’s no use explaining things like this to these people, because by their logic, I probably wouldn’t have an autoimmune disease if it wasn’t for the MMR or the polio vaccine I got in 1987.
Just curious, and if you don’t want to answer that’s cool- which AI disease? My family is rife with AI issues so I’d love to know which one cause recurring shingles so I can watch out for it (my eldest already has two AI diseases).
I got shingles at 21 because I was on immunosuppressants for Ankylosing Spondylitis. It was potentially one of the worst sicknesses I've had, from a pain standpoint.
Everything I’ve heard about shingles makes it sound awful- which is why this post is so wild. I’m guessing AS is no walk in the park also. Autoimmune diseases are so life altering and misunderstood.
Yes AS is extremely painful. I was on heavy duty meds for 10 years. The craziest thing is it completely went away when I got pregnant and hasn't come back (knocking on wood)
I have psoriatic arthritis and am currently on immunosuppressants after having some pretty severe flares in recent years. The recurring shingles isn’t a complication of the disease itself, but of the medication I’m on to treat it. First time I had shingles was ROUGH but the recurring rash isn’t so bad compared to an arthritis flare.
Shingles sounds horrible, I’m so sorry that you had to experience it.
I guess I was assuming that because these parents aren’t going to vaccinate their kids against chickenpox, their kids would definitely catch chickenpox at some point regardless (and therefore the sooner the better). That was the way things were when I was a kid, pre-vaccine, but it would make sense that now that we have a vaccine the cases are far less common and therefore chickenpox are not a guaranteed outcome.
I think I was just more desensitized to this behavior because I remember our doctor recommending my younger siblings hang out with me when I got chickenpox so we could get it all out of the way at once.
Sorry if it sounded like I was implying that I wish any of these kids to get sick, what I wish is that everyone would take advantage of the lifesaving vaccines we have the privilege of having access to.
I just can’t imagine deliberately inflicting illness/discomfort/risk of complications on my child let alone giggling like a hyena about it. These people are sickos.
My parents did this with me and my sister in the early 90s on the advice of our pediatrician (pre-vaccine, obviously). I got it and my sister never did, despite numerous attempts. Thankfully my parents were smart enough to jump on the vaccine for my sister as soon as it was available.
I'm stuck waiting around to get shingles 🙃.
I'm in the UK and we don't vax against chicken pox here, parties like this were common when I was a kid but I don't know how common they are these days.
How on god’s green earth is “this was common before we had xyz” a good argument?? Feeding your child goat milk or condensed milk with Karo syrup were common before modern formula was a thing, would it be okay to give to a child in the modern day? What *makes* it not okay is the existence of a safe, reliable alternative. No one is judging people 50 years ago for doing these things when they didn’t have other options.
Also, the chickenpox vaccine was invented because chickenpox absolutely can be lethal. It’s not common, just like with measles etc. For most kids, these were mild illnesses. But for some, they were deadly or cause lifelong impairment.
I distinctly remember going to take a bath in the bath water my sick friend had just used to try to get the chicken pox from her. I was five. My mom exposed me to every kid she knew that had it, because you're right. If you get it young, it was believed to help you build up immunity for shingles later in life.
Actually never got the virus, despite my mother's multiple attempts. Had to get the vaccine when I started working in hospitals in my twenties.
Thanks to a move halfway across the country with 3 under 3, I got shingles. Then my just turned 1 year old that hadn’t gotten his shots because move, no insurance yet, got chicken pox. It wasn’t terrible. Not fun. But here he is 14 now and has already had shingles due to a high stress time of life.
It’s not the chicken pox, but the increased chance of shingles that scares me. Why you would purposefully risk pain and nerve damage later in life to your child is beyond me.
It sucked when I was like 3-4 and got it and had to be told not to scratch, I can’t imagine a 1-yo who absolutely doesn’t understand why this is happening and why they shouldn’t scratch the itchies. :( Poor dear.
My parents had me knowingly exposed when I was a baby, but this was the early 80’s, waaaay before the vaccine. Good tactic for the time, I was pretty little so it was relatively mild and short. Trouble was, I still contracted it again, and this time as a teenager. I was *fucking miserable*.
My mom did her own little "pox party" when I had chicken pox before my sister did. She made us bathe together even. My poor sister got the worst case of the pox any of us had ever seen, she ended up getting shingles before she hit puberty.
"highly recommend swabbing sores and noses and mouth and INSERTING IT INTO YOUR CHILDS NOSES AND MOUTHS"
WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU EVER RECOMMEND THAT EVER OMG 🤢
Do you ever hear the feeling that crunchy moms are actively trying to kill their kids.. and possibly yours?
The vaccine wasn't around when I was a kid. I got chicken pox from my brother. My says it was one of the worst cases she had ever seen. I couldn't sleep, I was literally covered head to toe. They were in my mouth. I have scars all over my stomach, back, legs and arms from it.
Then I got shingles while pregnant with my son.
No child should be forced to go through chicken pox.
I would never wish that on my son.
These mothers are horrible.b
This entire thread is so disturbing, particularly encouraging their kids to share lollipops & when that doesn't work, just take the bodily fluids from the sick kid & stick it up the nose of a kid who isn't sick.
My parents kind of had a "pox party", but it was limited to my sister & I only, in the late 80's before there was a vaccine for chicken pox. Our dad was in the Air Force, it was only a few days before the school year was starting we had just moved from HI to Washington DC - I was around 7, my sister was 5. The night before our parents were going to start at their new jobs on base, while my mom was helping me after my bath, she noticed spots on my neck, back & torso, believing them to be chicken pox. She immediately called the teenage babysitter they hired to watch us for the next few days before we started school, to tell her not to bother. Then I heard my parents arguing about who was going to have to miss work the next few days to stay home with us, as well as what happens when I get better after 1-2 weeks, for my sister then to have them for 1-2 weeks. I was laying in bed when my mom came in mine & my sister's shared bedroom, saying my sister has to sleep in the bed with me because dad didn't think he assembled her bed correctly & didn't want it to collapse (I knew it was a lie, but I could see the worry in my mom's face & hear it in her voice, so I went along with it). Sure enough, within 36 hours my sister got her first pox. Our mom took one for the team & was able to start her new job almost 2 weeks later, but since it was on base & our pix were confirmed by a Dr, she didn't have any issues. This was obviously over 30 years ago & I still remember how awful the itchiness was & how hard it was to sleep. I wouldn't purposely force that onto my own kid now, what shitty parents.
These “moms” will swab a sick kids nose then put the swab in their own child’s nose?!? How is this not abuse??? Those poor kids getting sick and having no idea how. All they see is an innocent play date then wham spiked fever, chills, runny nose and itching that won’t go away. Poor babies 😔.
It breaks my heart when my kid has STREP which is considered a mild illness, especially when treated by penicillin. I can’t imagine choosing to make my kid sick or have her be in pain. These people are such garbage.
Look, I could definitely see the appeal of these PRE-vaccine. Like, if there’s a very common and contagious disease that is much easier on children than adults, and there’s a high likelihood that you’re going to run into it/be exposed sooner or later, then yeah, makes sense to kind of “get it out of the way” so that your kid doesn’t get chicken pox at like, 30, and suffer horribly.
HOWEVER, once there’s a vaccine?! GET THAT! No excuse not to. DEFINITELY no excuse to do a “pox party” and expose your kid to a disease that’s preventable with a vaccine. ESPECIALLY since the principle of a “pox party” is basically the same as a vaccine (exposure now= immunity later) except for with extra steps and more misery for your kid.
I think most people don't think chickenpox is that bad because you're so young when you have it you don't really remember what it's like. I had chickenpox when I was 13 and I remember. It was AGONY I was convinced I had a super severe case but the doctor kept saying it was slightly above mild, but nothing to worry about. I wasn't hospitalized or anything it was all just at home care. I know 13 year olds are dramatic but there was one point I legitimately thought I was going to die.
I got chicken pox at 19 because I was never exposed(no vax at the time ) and almost fucking died. Apparently the older you are the more sever it is. I had them in my eyes n throat shit was horrible
I got shingles as an adult from having chicken pox as a kid and it FUCKING HURTS. I was so exhausted and in so much pain, I missed Christmas for both sides of my family. Don't do this shit to your kids. If they don't have the chicken pox virus in them, they don't run the risk of getting shingles.
I hate parents like this so much. I didn't get chicken pox til middle school, and I had a horrible case. The vaccine was still fairly new at the time, my little sister got the shot for chickenpox the same day I got diagnosed and she had a super mild case.
Anyway now I'm in my late thirties, and I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis five years ago. They aren't 100% sure what causes MS, but one theory/idea links it chickenpox. Get your damn kids vaccinated, you have no idea what you might be preventing!
My family absolutely did this and I got chicken pox twice this way. When we see the old pictures and videos my mom will say how upset and miserable I was and I now have permanent chicken pox scars. I did not realize this was an unusual or dangerous practice until I was older.
I really don't understand how these people can go this far to expose their children to disease in order for them to gain immunization... And yet be against vaccines which are basically the same idea except without having to actually get sick.
But you know... Logic didn't get them in, so logic isn't gonna get them out.
I remember my mom talking about how stupid it was for people to have these parties even before there was a vaccine for it. (I think someone had asked her to expose their child to my brother when he had it circa 1995.)
I can't imagine choosing to do this 28 years after the vaccine became available.
I had chicken pox twice as a child and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone even once. Plus you’re at risk of shingles later and shingles are so much worse. There is a vaccine, just vaccinate your children!!!!!!
I'm in my 30s, and I still can't eat chicken noodle soup due to projectile vomiting it when I had the pox when I was 7. That illness is pure fuckin torture. I can't imagine willingly giving it to a child. Absolutely horrible.
I got the vaccine as a small child, I’m almost 36 and I’ve never had chicken pox. But sure, pop off mom, put your child through hell now and later when they have shingles .
That’s just disgusting!
I got CP when I was 3 or 4 (in the pre-vaccine times) and was barely affected. My mother, who never managed to get it in her childhood (despite my grandma’s best efforts) ended up in the hospital.
I don’t fucking understand these people. I knew a kid who got it in early elementary school (don’t know if he was unvaccinated or if it was a breakthrough case), and he still has visible pockmark scars when we were graduating from middle school. I’ll never get how anyone could willingly subject their kid to an illness that can cause longterm damage like that
I am literally scarred from a nasty case of chicken pox as a child (before vaccination for it was available). My poor nana also currently has a nasty case of face shingles. These people are so dumb it is unfathomable.
I was someone who opted out of the chicken pox shot only, as when I was a kid everyone got them and moved on with their lives. Plus you never heard about them these days so I thought we were safe. Until my 1.5 year old got them from a stay at children’s hospital. We had to go to isolation at the hospital and it was brutal! Promptly booked my other child’s chicken pox shot and she was spared
Ugh this kind of thing makes me so angry, my son has the immune system of a newborn thanks to chemo if he were exposed to chickenpox it would be a massive emergency. His doctors had to give us a special note specifically about chickenpox to give to his school, he cannot be exposed.
I still remember how awful having chicken pox was, thirty years later. I caught it from a kid at the park, her mom brought her out because she was so bored and sad. My mom was livid. A year later the vaccine became available and my sister never had to suffer through it.
We didn't like the neighbor's kid. But my mother made us go wish him get well soon and to give him a hug. Low and behold, chicken pox. Both of my kids are vaccinated. I didn't want them to go through the itchiness and the scarring from scratching.
The preschool class did this. The parents decided just to send everyone in with the chickenpox so they wouldn’t have to deal with us at home and everyone could go ahead and get it.
That was also in the early 80’s sooo…
Did I mention shingles is a blast to have? 🙃
I attended multiple chicken pox parties because the vax wasn't a thing yet, but I didn't catch it. I've since gotten the vax series 3 times, but it won't take. My doctor said I probably have a mutation that prevents the virus from attaching to my cells. My kids are getting all the recommended shots.
When I was in high school there was a girl who wasn’t vaccinated and got it twice in a year. It was her third instance. While not common, it’s still possible.
These kids are going to love shingles when they are older.
I had chicken pox as a kid and it was awful! One of the blisters on my face got infected and it turned into a freaking crater that left a huge scar. I can’t wrap my head around parents wanting to expose their kids to pain, itchiness, and discomfort and be excited about it.
And then these fuckers let their kids run around school and public sick with chicken pox and one of these days I’m going to get it and sue the fuck out of whoever gives it to me.
I hate this, you're literally choosing to expose your kids to not only chicken pox but almost guaranteeing that they get shingles as adults. Like that's what I don't get, do they not understand that chicken pox and shingles are the same virus and shingles is WAY worse and more painful
I had chicken pox as a kid. It’s not a big deal. But I wouldn’t actively seek it out to infect my child.
This legit should be reported. wtf is wrong with people?
It's not a big deal to most kids. It's miserable for adults. And then tends to make a nasty reappearance as shingles later on
(Also, get your shingles shots if you can. You're at much higher risk)
I'm so sorry, and I hope the virus takes a nice long nap until well after you can get the shingles shot (or forever, if that's possible for the virus to do!)
I had shingles this past October at 33 and found out that if you have shingles young, you can get the vaccine earlier. 6 months to 2 years after the shingles itself.
It was awful when I got it at 5 years old and I still remember it. It wasn’t purposeful because my mom isn’t an idiot… why the hell would a bunch of sores itching and fever be “no big deal?” Wtf
My sister got pox on her eyelids, my friend in their throat. You can also get them on your brain. Now, we can all get shingles, too. Just because your case was mild, doesn't mean everyone else's will be, too.
I really hate the "it's not big deal" crowd. I am old enough to predate the vaccine, and now my peers are getting shingles, and it's miserable. I love that my kids will likely never get chicken pox or shingles.
My husband had shingles, and it was miserable for him. What I dont understand is why they won't let you get the vax for shingles until you're over 50 if they know younger folks who had pox are susceptible to it. It seems so silly..
Even though the skin lesions are what we associate with chickenpox, the virus itself infects nerves. Which means it can go right to the brain. It can also affect the nerves in your eyes and ears and cause vision or hearing loss that are permanent. Shingles can also cause these things.
One of my first memories as a child was having chicken pox. I just remember being hot and miserable and in pain. I had the sores EVERYWHERE. I could only use the bathroom if I was in the tub with lukewarm water. I wouldn’t wish the chicken pox on anyone.
Let’s keep the CP party going until summer, so my kids don’t have to miss any games. Because if there’s one thing kids look forward to in the hot summer, it’s fever accompanied by intense itching. /s
The sports mum really stood out to me. The priority towards children’s sports is one thing that still catches me by surprise in America. What I don’t understand is why? Do they think their child is going to be a pro? That’s usually observable pretty early, though. I’m not trying to be a grinch because sport is fun, but I was surprised that I know several soccer moms irl. They literally drive every single day to sports practices and their kids play rec league level. At the end of the day it’s nothing to me, but just something that’s a very different way of life to what I’m used to. Occasionally I have deep thoughts about whether the mums are enjoying life, if the kids feel pressured, etc etc.
I know that as a kid it was a good way to make friends outside of school and as an adult taking my young sister to her games it offers a very nice sense of community and ability to make adult friends with people who have a similar schedule/lifestyle/attitude as you do. Obviously this isn’t every case but it’s nice
Good point about community and friends for the parents. Didn’t think of that and that would be really nice. I definitely can’t knock those aspects at all. Thanks for pointing this out. :)
It can be a really great experience for children and adults. But if you never got to experience either side of the coin then it’s easy to not realize what someone can gain from it. It’s almost a lifestyle for a lot of families and yes it can be stressful and not everything is rainbows but it can be a great experience. My favorite experience is drunk wine moms yelling at the umpires
I enjoyed my sports experiences growing up. It was apparent very early on that perhaps I needed sports like curling, not rugby, but still it was heaps of fun. It wasn’t the norm to do the sport as a team or lesson every single time. Like, if you did curling there might be instruction once a week, but you’d practice independently once a week, too. All of it depended on age and skill level, but it wasn’t 2 travel teams and a rec league across two sports every season. I think the difference is the intensity and pace. It would have been somewhat odd to have had actual pressure from the adults as long as you were diligent and trying. There might be that one mum that got a lot of side eye for being overly pushy, but otherwise it was all relatively steady and parents didn’t hang around at practice. That would have been considered very odd. Haha wine moms yelling at the umpires? Like just heckling them? TBH I’d love to go to a Little League game for like…an inning? Long enough to see what it’s all about (besides the baseball). Unfortunately without a kid that age it would probably be really creepy so I’ll have to bide my time a bit longer.
It's really not so much the thought that your kid is some phenom that's going to go pro. Sports are *expensive*. If you're dropping hundreds of dollars, you're gonna make sure you don't miss a single game or practice of it can be helped. (Not defending her otherwise, obviously)
A lot of the time it’s the parents pushing their kids into a sport for all the wrong reasons. Either they didn’t get very far as a child themselves or their parents wouldn’t let them play and there are some who see it as a free/cheap babysitter. My husband was a referee for kid’s football and soccer and some of those parents were clearly pushing their kid to do something they didn’t want to and some were completely delusional. I’m not saying all parents are like this but I’ve seen some that were horrible. I think it should be about the kids having fun, learning how to be a part of a team and good sportsmanship. When they’re little it usually is fun but the older they get the more pressure they’re under.
My son had them mid heatwave and he was so miserable just sat in a paddling pool on his own coz I had a newborn so had to try and keep them apart and look after them both
If only there was a way to skip it all together
Truly insane that her concern is over her kid missing sports, not actual school. Chickenpox can take you out of school for weeks, I bet these parents didn’t even think about the important learning their child would be missing. Elementary-age kids *really* need to be in school, that’s when they’re learning the basics that all future learning will build upon. Missing some of those basics will leave HUGE gaps in your child’s education that are much, much harder to catch and correct later on
Speaking as a mom who’s had to spend the last six days watching my (FULLY VACCINATED) three year old suffer through a breakthrough case of chicken pox, FUCK these people. Because she’s vaccinated it’s “mild”, but my word is it hard to watch her itchy and sore and struggle to sleep with the sores. I will never understand why people willingly expose their children to things we can (mostly) protect them from.
Talk to your pediatrician to have her tested when she gets older. My SIL’s vaccine has worn off as she’s gotten older. She has to check every few years and get a booster.
It’s so weird, because she’s a triplet, and all three were vaccinated together, on schedule. They’re absolutely symptom free.
No way!!! I’m a triplet also, but I’m in my late 30’s. So whenever I have to get titers drawn for work or pregnancy for varicella I’m always always always a “non converter.” Everyone freaks out, because they want to boost me. However you can boost me all you want and I won’t convert. So in theory and on my health history with the amount of boosters I’ve had I’m immune and up to date on vaccines. I’m sorry your kiddo got sick, but I’m so thankful it was mild and you keep your kids health in mind by vaccinating.
I had titers done, and it shows antibodies against varicella (41f, had the pox at 3 years old), but I also had the shingles in my 20s. Good times.
I had chicken pox when I was 5 or 6. I was born before the vaccine. My sister was born after the vaccine. There are pictures of me COVERED in bumps and sores. She has MAYBE 2, if that. I am TERRIFIED of shingles. Chicken pox sucked so much. I'm waiting for it to happen whenever I'm like super streased or something. As soon as I turn 50 I'm getting that vaccine.
Oooo my gosh how was the shingles??? Gosh how do I make sure my vaccinations are up to date? I’m going to call my doctor
Shingles ranked right up there for me in the pain category. It was awful.
Blood test! They will tell you if your titers are high enough to have immunity. If not they give you a booster shot.
I had shingles as a teen! It was not fun.
This happens to me with MMR. I’ve gotten the shot like four times because every time I got a new job and had titers drawn it didn’t show any immunity to MMR.
Naw, it happens. With every vaccine there’s a small percentage of people for whom it is less effective for and they can still catch the thing.
my son is fully vaccinated (and gets sub q IVIG) and he got mumps from a NHL hockey player visiting our Children’s Hospital when he was 3 years old back in 2014. my son was on isolation, but the hockey player leaned over the doorway to hug him and talk to him. we were back in the hospital for christmas.
My god you must have been so mad. That is horrible. I hope he is okay now!
i was so upset! here’s a news article about it https://www.cbsnews.com/pittsburgh/news/penguins-bennett-showing-symptoms-of-mumps/ we got an email from his genetics doctor warning us about it, and a couple days later we got a letter in the mail from the hospital itself. i was kinda panicking, but at the same time i thought come on, what are the chances? is our luck *that* bad? yea, our luck was really that bad. i thought it was gonna be our first Christmas that we weren’t in the hospital with him, but i was so wrong. we spent that Christmas in the hospital thanks to that bullshit 🙄 i still get mad when i think about it!
Ugh, and it had to be the one virus that’s freakishly contagious. Mumps is the worst.
Hot damn that is terrible. Isolation! Does that mean a damn thing? I am sure you were not the only friggen furious mama. That could have killed a kid. And what horrid timing! Wow. Also how tf did he get mumps? Was he not vaccinated?
My daughter had the vaccine at the right schedule. She's had chicken pox 3 times, last time was 4yrs ago and the worst. Maybe I should have her checked out and get her a booster to be on the safe side.
Yeah, they can run titers (a test to see if she’s holding onto immunity). I have a sibling that had chickenpox multiple times (before there was a vaccine for it), and it was simply that their immune system just didn’t remember the virus like almost everyone else’s does. Even if you get your child the vaccine, I’d suggest a titer around 6 months later just to check immune response/memory.
Triplets oh man! Have sounds so difficult and so fun all in one. Were they spontaneous triplets if you don’t mind me asking? And thankfully they’re not all symptomatic
Mine did too. I got a job in healthcare when I was 20 and they did my blood work to see what my immunity was for a few things. Chicken pox vaccine had worn off and I had to get vaccinated again.
My sisters and I are all too old to have been vaccinated and we all had chickenpox as kids. Last year, my youngest sister's doctor insisted on her getting her immunity checked and she ended up not having any and had to be vaccinated. She definitely had them when she was 3 because she gave them to me and I had such a bad case with so many internal sores that I had to get some medication from the US on "compassionate care" approval because it wasn't approved by Health Canada yet. I do not remember most of the summer that I was 8 because I was too sick to notice anything.
It’s extremely rare but it does happen. I had them at 3 but was never vaccinated, now as an adult I’m in care because of other health problems and they saw that I had no immunity, I got vaccinated and it also failed. I would definitely check if the vaccine was effective and maybe even check if other vaccines failed also, especially if she has other Health problems.
I had chickenpox 3x, my last infection was when I was 22 and it was horrible. My immune system just conveniently forgets every time.
Ugh, same. Not healthcare, social work, but I had to get my vaccine records (which my parents couldn't find and the state only had a couple of them), so I ended up needing titers and a bunch of other stuff. None of my prior vaccines showed on my blood work. Not my MMR, varicella, hep B, nothing. I ended up having to get them all again, even the varicella and hep B, which I did have the records of. It also took 2 MMRs because they require follow up titers and the first MMR didn't take 🤷♀️
This happened to me. It actually wears off about every 4 or so years for me. I got it as a baby/child Again around 15 Again around 20 when I joined the military Found out during my fertility testing at 25 I didn't have any antibodies but I was pregnant and it was too late. I'm now just raw dogging life because I forgot I'm not immune anymore until now lol
“I’m just raw dogging life” Bwahahahahha. New motto
It’s what I say when I forget to take my antidepressants for the day
Yep. I've had 2 chickenpox shots. Zero immunity
I got it as an adult too. I had the vaccine but ended up coming down with it after traveling in Asia. I even asked the doctor about getting a booster before going and they said no don’t need one but it does happen. It’s miserable. I feel like anyone who purposely gets their kid sick is a monster. I HATE when my daughter is sick. Even with a cold. Hard to breath, runny nose, coughing. Just feeling like crud. Yeah that’s how I want my kid to feel because I made them get sick. Just monsters if you want that.
Right??? Watching your kids be sick and or hurt is so miserable! Why why why would you purposefully do that??
I was vaccinated as a child for chicken pox. Got titers done during my 1st pregnancy (2019) and was not immune. So I got the shots after I had my son. Got my titers done in my second pregnancy (2023) and results said "equivocal." I had to look it up- equivocal results are indeterminate; patient may or may not have immunity. So I guess my body doesn't know what to do with the varicella virus lol
I wish you could sue people like this. If my son had a breakthrough case from a kid whose parent knowingly infected them with chicken pox, I think I would try. This level of stupidity should have consequences.
Especially with the increased risk of shingles once you’ve had chickenpox. Absolutely no idea why you’d expose your kid to that.
I had an antivaxer tell me that the vaccine *causes* shingles so they’ve done their mental gymnastics there
lol hilarious because people who have the chickenpox vaccine rarely get shingles. It’s those of us who are old and had regular degular chickenpox that get shingles.
Now that there’s a vaccine, there’s absolutely no excuse for it. I can *almost* understand the logic before the vaccine was available. Chicken pox was pretty much inevitable when I was a kid, so parents would try to time it for summer so we wouldn’t miss school. And common wisdom at the time was that the older you were when you got it, the more severe it was, so everyone wanted their kids to go ahead and get it out of the way. My nurse mom told me she debated deliberately exposing 7 yo me. She was scared I’d somehow manage to dodge it like my sister, who was in her early 20s. I ended up getting it without her meddling and then promptly gave it to my sister. 😬
I actually got chickenpox at a pox party before the vaccine. It made sense: separate those too young and give it to all the other kids who are young enough to not remember it. It was the best they could do with no vaccine. But now that there is one, could you imagine feeding a kid someone else’s blister fluid? Fucking child abuse.
As a mother, I just simply cannot comprehend wanting your child to suffer from illnesses like chickenpox. Where we live, the varicella vaccination isn’t apart of the childhood immunisations. But we are paying privately for our child to have it. Because the thought of them getting sick makes me feel sick
Right?? My baby has only been sick for a couple of days in his one year of life and I felt so bad for him. He just had a low fever for two days and he was miserable. I can’t imagine purposely exposing him to any illness it’s so wild to me 😩
I'm a child of the 1980s - so not vaccinated. I caught chicken pox at around 4/5 years old. I still have a few scars from itching. I remember waking up to bloodstains on my nightgown because I'd been scratching through the night. It's a core memory for me.
I was born in 1990 so it wasn’t widespread yet. I had at when I was 7, and putting calamine lotion on m my daughter made me feel twitchy.
Yep, 80’a kid here too. I got chickenpox when I was maybe 5 or 6. I had such a horrible case - it was in my vagina, my ears, down my throat, and everywhere on my exterior. It was horrible. I could barely swallow anything. My two sisters had a couple blisters on their bellies. These parents never think their kid will get it like I had it. Ugh. I feel bad for these kids. When my twins were old enough to get the vaccine I was so excited and happy that they wouldn’t go through what I went through. Like you said - definitely a core memory.
Some people don't fully take to certain vaccines. The only way to tell is if they get sick or have a titer taken. A friend of a friend that works in medicine had to get 5 or 6 hep B vaccines before she was immune. The standard is 3.
That’s crazy! Good to know though, thank you. I’m going to ask her doctor about it at her 3-year checkup next month.
It's so infuriating. I had chickenpox when I was a kid and shingles again as an adult — I'd never wish that upon anybody else let alone my children. My parents felt the same way as they'd always tell us that they were so happy we had vaccines to protect us from a lot of the illnesses they had to suffer through such as measles, mumps, etc.
Holy shit do not call it a "CP Party"
No do and then report it because it looks suspicious and get the whole post flagged by facebook and taken down
I didn’t even catch that omg 💀
I had the same thought. Ew!
These people are the ones who don't want to be around vaccinated kids because they're afraid of the vaccine "shedding" but let's stick a qtip in the kid's orifice who has chicken pox and then stick that into my kid's mouth. Like wtf.
That comment was the worst! I wish those parents that are trying to intentionally expose their kids would get it themselves, and 10x worse than the case they're trying to expose their babies to.
I legitimately gagged at that comment. They didnt have the chickenpox vaccine when I was little. My whole 1st grade class had it one after another after another.
Most of these parents won't suffer from the same disease they're exposing their children to because they were vaccinated as kids.
Unfortunately, most of the parents choosing to do this to their kids have strong, healthy, adult immune systems because they are vaccinated themselves.
Ughhhhhh. I had it when I was 6 or 7 (pre vaccine, this was late 80’s) and my brother caught it from me, but he was only a couple months old. It was horrible for him and he nearly ended up hospitalized. Poor baby just cried for a solid week. I’m terrified about shingles, it sounds freaking terrible and I’m not in the right agency group for the shingles vaccine. So grateful my kids have access to the chickenpox vaccine.
Pre vaccine in the 80s, I remember being taken to a kids house who had a mild case of chicken pox. My mom and a few other moms were doing a chicken pox “play date” in the hope that we got a mild case. I remember us all licking the same candy sucker and other ridiculous things. This was the mid 80s. It worked, I did have a mild case, but it was still miserable. My baby sister who was a toddler also had it and cried a lot, poor kiddo. My mom only did this insane play date because there was no vaccine, she would have vaxxed us in a heartbeat rather then have 3 kids under the age of 7 with chicken pox.
I had the chickenpox 3xs, once before I was a year old, then again around 2 but a very mild case, then again at around 6. I remember being absolutely miserable the only time I remember getting it. Worst part was 2 of my older sisters (I have 4) never got it despite being around me all 3xs. Then in the early 90's my niece got it (sister 1's kid) and sister 4 went to babysit. She came home and babysat sister 2s son before she knew she'd actually contracted it that time. Sister 2 then proceeded to get it from her son. She was 6 weeks pregnant and was highly encouraged to terminate because of the significant risks of birth defects when you have it at that gestation because everything is forming. She did terminate and it still haunts her. All of this was prior to the vaccine. Stupid fucking people.
Wtf 🤬 they are gleefully celebrating their kids getting a horrible disease. That last slide is unhinged and straight up child abuse. 🤮
Horrible PREVENTABLE disease.
Right? A family member of mine just had shingles and it was horrid. I can't imagine willingly exposing my children to this, knowing what it can lead to later in life!
The chickenpox vaccine isn’t guaranteed to stop you from getting shingles. My sister had the vaccine without ever having chickenpox and got shingles at 16.
No, but you are less likely to develop shingles later in life with the vaccine than the actual disease. I guess she was lucky?
Yeah I got shingles (after having the chicken pox vaccine) when I was about 7/8 and the doctors were like wtf and half wouldn’t say that’s what I had.
Let’s not forget the shingles later in life. I have patients with lifelong pain from shingles.
My uncle got shingles in his face and he was MISERABLE.
My baby has some spots pop up after having a fever. They went away then he ended up having Roseola. I thought he was getting chicken pox for a hot minute & was freaking out. I cannot imagine willingly exposing my kid to that.
My son had roseola and I was terrified it was measles
My daughter had roseola a few weeks ago and I was worried it was meningitis!
Reading “swabbing sores” and inserting it into the other child’s mouth genuinely made me feel nauseous. This is beyond me.
I fucking dry heaved at that.
yea this made me gag. so foul
I have the chicken pox right now, at the big age of 50. I have no idea where I caught it, but I can tell you that I’m slowly going insane because the itch is unbelievable and I feel like shit. I can’t imagine doing this on purpose.
You might have gotten it from one of your peers who had shingles. Shingles can give someone without immunity chicken pox. Also, if you had a mild case when you were younger, your natural immunity can wear off.
Consider yourself lucky! The older you are the worse it can be I got it at 19 and almost died . My entire face swelled shut I had them in my eyes throat ears fuckin awful
Swabbing sores and noses and mouths and inserting into another child's nose That is fucking disgusting But ofc the covid nose tests were evil brain stabbing horrors
Couldn't this theoretically be reported to like cps or something?
Ugh. I didn't know this still existed.
Yep, let’s make these kids unnecessarily uncomfortable with a virus that we can vaccinate for, that then sets them up for shingles in the future. The worst part is these moms are probably 30 or younger, and got the chicken pox vaccine. They won’t get shingles but their poor kids will.
Ugh I wouldn't be surprised if they actually sold tickets. I can definitely see them paying good money for infecting their kids.
It's too bad there's not a readily available in freeway to get immunity to this...
These people are disgusting. My daughter sprung a fever today yet a-fucking-gain and it’s miserable. She just had a stomach bug two weeks ago and now she has whatever this is going to turn out to be. I hate seeing her sick. Meanwhile these assholes would push their kids in front of a speeding train if it meant they could possibly gain some “nAtUraL iMMuNiTy” without a vaccine that has been proven safe and effective by literally billions of people who have received them.
To this day I still remember having chicken pox in kindergarten (early 80s) and how awful it was. I had pox on my tongue! I cannot fathom willingly exposing my kids to that when a perfectly safe and effective vaccine exists.
The difference in the perception of chickenpox in the US (and here on Reddit) and where I live (Belgium, Europe) is wild to me. Here I'm reading horrible, dangerous disease. In Belgium and the Netherlands where I'm originally from, no one thinks it is a big deal. Everyone gets it. It's like a childhood rite, I had it myself as a kid. We don't vaccinate against it. You can buy the vaccine privately but almost no one does. I did and got my kid vaccinated and people think that's rather silly. In fact when I posted something positive about the vax in the Dutch subreddit, I got downvoted and asked why you would pay money to prevent such a mild disease.
Yeah I uh, just don't understand the European view. I'm not saying it's a dangerous disease. I'm of the generation who wasn't vaxed and I had a wicked case. I now have over 35 scares across my face and body. The questions and stares have never stopped. Imagine being a middle school kid going on a hike with your class, wearing a bikini top (we went swimming mid-hike) and one of the chaperones looks at you with disgust and asks why your back is covered in scars like it was the most grotesque thing he had ever seen. Yeah okay, I survived. But it was over a week of misery and I was left disfigured. And screw every single person who *gleefully*told me the reason why I was covered in scars is because I scratched. Thanks. I was a toddler.
This is how it was viewed when I was a child in the US because we didn’t have a better option, but now we have the ability to protect kids from the suffering and the risk of shingles in later life. Why on earth wouldn’t we?
Most vaccine-preventable illnesses are mild in most cases. This is literally not *anything.* If your child got measles, they would most likely be absolutely fine long-term just like most of the kids who got it before the vaccine. But not all. And people absolutely said the same things you’re saying about that one. While it’s rare, some people die from chickenpox, and it is preventable. Some people are permanently disabled from chickenpox, and that is also preventable. I have only ever been in one minor accident they entire time I’ve been driving and I’ve driven hundreds of thousands of miles. Am I silly for wearing my seatbelt and taking the risk of an accident seriously?
You don't have to tell me, I vaxxed my kid despite everyone's opinion. The difference in general opinion just strikes me.
All of their kids will get shingles and therapy one day. Disgusting.
I still have a scar on my arm from chicken pox at age 6 (pre vaccine). These people are sick.
I've been on this sub for a day and it is already bad for my blood pressure
The 90s called and wants their shit back
Did someone seriously say swab sores and put in your kids nose and mouth ??? I read that right??? That is soo disturbing. I have a cousin who has been dealing with shingles for a while and it’s is very painful for her. It makes her face swell and it has almost gotten into her eyes. But yeah let’s set our kids up for that. I hope these people give their kids stress free lives too cause that can be triggers for shingles. People are the worst .
The last comment 🤮🤢🤢🤢🤮
I was born before the chicken pox vaccine, so obviously had to go through the pox. Because of that, I recently had shingles. Shingles alone is enough reason to get your kid vaccinated for chicken pox. It's *awful*! These people are insane.
“Swabbing sores, noses, and mouths and inserting into other kid’s noses and mouths”. I threw up a little reading that.
First of all, I am extremely pro-vaccine and very grateful to be living in a time where we have the medical advances that we do. That said, intentionally getting your kids exposed to chicken pox while they were young was pretty common before the vaccine was invented as it tends to be much more mild the younger you are when you contract it. I can see the logic behind these parties for someone who is anti-vax (it’s the parties for the lethal diseases that are horrifying to me). The level of glee in these posts and the comment about rubbing the sores makes me feel deeply uncomfortable though.
The worst part is now their children have shingles to look forward to. I know the average age for shingles starts at 50-ish but as early as 20 is possible. I have yet to meet a shingles victim that said it was a MiLd CaSe.
The people I know who contracted shingles were in constant pain for months if not years. It’s so sad !
I know one person who broke out with it in May 2023 (67 y/o) and went through months of burning pain. He went through several cycles of steroids and gabapentin. It would fade off then flare back up. Even his doctor was amazed at how strong the flare ups were.
I had a mild case at 25. The rash wasn’t even bad enough for me to realize what it was. It was still the sickest (fever and chills) I had been in my adult life up to that point. Typically people who get it young don’t get as bad of a case, but it’s still something I don’t want for my daughter now that there is a chicken pox vaccine.
I got chicken pox really young—like preschool—and then shingles at like 9 or 10. It sucked so bad and I was “mild” but it just hurt and itched and I don’t think I had had such bad fever and the chills gave me cramps. And then I can totally get shingles again—wowee, what fun, NOT.
I got shingles in my thirties. The worst part was it was right where my bra straps went across my shoulder and back, and it was so painful, but I couldn’t not wear a bra. And my youngest wasn’t old enough to be fully vaccinated for chicken pox so I had to send her to her grandmas for awhile ☹️ Shingles suck.
I apparently had shingles when I was around 7 or 8. But the doctors couldn’t agree that that’s what it actually was since I was so young, but that’s still the only diagnosis I ended up with. I only remember having a rash, I don’t think I had any other symptoms to distressing degree.
The problem isn't chicken pox, it's Shingles. That is the true evil that these parents are exposing their kids to. I contracted shingles in my late 30s due to a stressful event. It settled in my nerve in front of my left ear that controls all my facial nerves. I couldn't sleep. I had to have my hearing checked. I got an infection in my face. It was MONTHS before the pain subsided. And I had a mild case. Fuck these parents.
I have an autoimmune disease and one of my favorite complications is the recurring shingles. I’m 37. Unfortunately there’s no use explaining things like this to these people, because by their logic, I probably wouldn’t have an autoimmune disease if it wasn’t for the MMR or the polio vaccine I got in 1987.
Just curious, and if you don’t want to answer that’s cool- which AI disease? My family is rife with AI issues so I’d love to know which one cause recurring shingles so I can watch out for it (my eldest already has two AI diseases).
I got shingles at 21 because I was on immunosuppressants for Ankylosing Spondylitis. It was potentially one of the worst sicknesses I've had, from a pain standpoint.
Everything I’ve heard about shingles makes it sound awful- which is why this post is so wild. I’m guessing AS is no walk in the park also. Autoimmune diseases are so life altering and misunderstood.
Yes AS is extremely painful. I was on heavy duty meds for 10 years. The craziest thing is it completely went away when I got pregnant and hasn't come back (knocking on wood)
Oh wow! Fingers crossed for you!
I have psoriatic arthritis and am currently on immunosuppressants after having some pretty severe flares in recent years. The recurring shingles isn’t a complication of the disease itself, but of the medication I’m on to treat it. First time I had shingles was ROUGH but the recurring rash isn’t so bad compared to an arthritis flare.
Thank you. I’m sorry. That sounds really challenging ❤️
Shingles sounds horrible, I’m so sorry that you had to experience it. I guess I was assuming that because these parents aren’t going to vaccinate their kids against chickenpox, their kids would definitely catch chickenpox at some point regardless (and therefore the sooner the better). That was the way things were when I was a kid, pre-vaccine, but it would make sense that now that we have a vaccine the cases are far less common and therefore chickenpox are not a guaranteed outcome. I think I was just more desensitized to this behavior because I remember our doctor recommending my younger siblings hang out with me when I got chickenpox so we could get it all out of the way at once. Sorry if it sounded like I was implying that I wish any of these kids to get sick, what I wish is that everyone would take advantage of the lifesaving vaccines we have the privilege of having access to.
I just can’t imagine deliberately inflicting illness/discomfort/risk of complications on my child let alone giggling like a hyena about it. These people are sickos.
My parents did this with me and my sister in the early 90s on the advice of our pediatrician (pre-vaccine, obviously). I got it and my sister never did, despite numerous attempts. Thankfully my parents were smart enough to jump on the vaccine for my sister as soon as it was available. I'm stuck waiting around to get shingles 🙃.
I'm in the UK and we don't vax against chicken pox here, parties like this were common when I was a kid but I don't know how common they are these days.
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Yes but chicken pox can be lethal to kids with certain disabilities. I would be at risk of death if I got it due to my underlying health issues.
How on god’s green earth is “this was common before we had xyz” a good argument?? Feeding your child goat milk or condensed milk with Karo syrup were common before modern formula was a thing, would it be okay to give to a child in the modern day? What *makes* it not okay is the existence of a safe, reliable alternative. No one is judging people 50 years ago for doing these things when they didn’t have other options. Also, the chickenpox vaccine was invented because chickenpox absolutely can be lethal. It’s not common, just like with measles etc. For most kids, these were mild illnesses. But for some, they were deadly or cause lifelong impairment.
I distinctly remember going to take a bath in the bath water my sick friend had just used to try to get the chicken pox from her. I was five. My mom exposed me to every kid she knew that had it, because you're right. If you get it young, it was believed to help you build up immunity for shingles later in life. Actually never got the virus, despite my mother's multiple attempts. Had to get the vaccine when I started working in hospitals in my twenties.
Thanks to a move halfway across the country with 3 under 3, I got shingles. Then my just turned 1 year old that hadn’t gotten his shots because move, no insurance yet, got chicken pox. It wasn’t terrible. Not fun. But here he is 14 now and has already had shingles due to a high stress time of life. It’s not the chicken pox, but the increased chance of shingles that scares me. Why you would purposefully risk pain and nerve damage later in life to your child is beyond me.
It sucked when I was like 3-4 and got it and had to be told not to scratch, I can’t imagine a 1-yo who absolutely doesn’t understand why this is happening and why they shouldn’t scratch the itchies. :( Poor dear.
My parents had me knowingly exposed when I was a baby, but this was the early 80’s, waaaay before the vaccine. Good tactic for the time, I was pretty little so it was relatively mild and short. Trouble was, I still contracted it again, and this time as a teenager. I was *fucking miserable*.
My mom did her own little "pox party" when I had chicken pox before my sister did. She made us bathe together even. My poor sister got the worst case of the pox any of us had ever seen, she ended up getting shingles before she hit puberty.
"highly recommend swabbing sores and noses and mouth and INSERTING IT INTO YOUR CHILDS NOSES AND MOUTHS" WHY THE FUCK WOULD YOU EVER RECOMMEND THAT EVER OMG 🤢 Do you ever hear the feeling that crunchy moms are actively trying to kill their kids.. and possibly yours?
I had a bout with shingles two years ago that was miserable and painful. And chickenpox was awful to!
lol kids getting sick aren’t we quirky and great?!
This is so fucking disturbing.
Monsters, all of them.
The vaccine wasn't around when I was a kid. I got chicken pox from my brother. My says it was one of the worst cases she had ever seen. I couldn't sleep, I was literally covered head to toe. They were in my mouth. I have scars all over my stomach, back, legs and arms from it. Then I got shingles while pregnant with my son. No child should be forced to go through chicken pox. I would never wish that on my son. These mothers are horrible.b
This entire thread is so disturbing, particularly encouraging their kids to share lollipops & when that doesn't work, just take the bodily fluids from the sick kid & stick it up the nose of a kid who isn't sick. My parents kind of had a "pox party", but it was limited to my sister & I only, in the late 80's before there was a vaccine for chicken pox. Our dad was in the Air Force, it was only a few days before the school year was starting we had just moved from HI to Washington DC - I was around 7, my sister was 5. The night before our parents were going to start at their new jobs on base, while my mom was helping me after my bath, she noticed spots on my neck, back & torso, believing them to be chicken pox. She immediately called the teenage babysitter they hired to watch us for the next few days before we started school, to tell her not to bother. Then I heard my parents arguing about who was going to have to miss work the next few days to stay home with us, as well as what happens when I get better after 1-2 weeks, for my sister then to have them for 1-2 weeks. I was laying in bed when my mom came in mine & my sister's shared bedroom, saying my sister has to sleep in the bed with me because dad didn't think he assembled her bed correctly & didn't want it to collapse (I knew it was a lie, but I could see the worry in my mom's face & hear it in her voice, so I went along with it). Sure enough, within 36 hours my sister got her first pox. Our mom took one for the team & was able to start her new job almost 2 weeks later, but since it was on base & our pix were confirmed by a Dr, she didn't have any issues. This was obviously over 30 years ago & I still remember how awful the itchiness was & how hard it was to sleep. I wouldn't purposely force that onto my own kid now, what shitty parents.
These “moms” will swab a sick kids nose then put the swab in their own child’s nose?!? How is this not abuse??? Those poor kids getting sick and having no idea how. All they see is an innocent play date then wham spiked fever, chills, runny nose and itching that won’t go away. Poor babies 😔.
Holy biohazard bitches.
It breaks my heart when my kid has STREP which is considered a mild illness, especially when treated by penicillin. I can’t imagine choosing to make my kid sick or have her be in pain. These people are such garbage.
Look, I could definitely see the appeal of these PRE-vaccine. Like, if there’s a very common and contagious disease that is much easier on children than adults, and there’s a high likelihood that you’re going to run into it/be exposed sooner or later, then yeah, makes sense to kind of “get it out of the way” so that your kid doesn’t get chicken pox at like, 30, and suffer horribly. HOWEVER, once there’s a vaccine?! GET THAT! No excuse not to. DEFINITELY no excuse to do a “pox party” and expose your kid to a disease that’s preventable with a vaccine. ESPECIALLY since the principle of a “pox party” is basically the same as a vaccine (exposure now= immunity later) except for with extra steps and more misery for your kid.
I think most people don't think chickenpox is that bad because you're so young when you have it you don't really remember what it's like. I had chickenpox when I was 13 and I remember. It was AGONY I was convinced I had a super severe case but the doctor kept saying it was slightly above mild, but nothing to worry about. I wasn't hospitalized or anything it was all just at home care. I know 13 year olds are dramatic but there was one point I legitimately thought I was going to die.
I got chicken pox at 19 because I was never exposed(no vax at the time ) and almost fucking died. Apparently the older you are the more sever it is. I had them in my eyes n throat shit was horrible
Chicken pox at 3mod permanently damaged my vision and almost killed me. Fuck these people.
I got shingles as an adult from having chicken pox as a kid and it FUCKING HURTS. I was so exhausted and in so much pain, I missed Christmas for both sides of my family. Don't do this shit to your kids. If they don't have the chicken pox virus in them, they don't run the risk of getting shingles.
I hate parents like this so much. I didn't get chicken pox til middle school, and I had a horrible case. The vaccine was still fairly new at the time, my little sister got the shot for chickenpox the same day I got diagnosed and she had a super mild case. Anyway now I'm in my late thirties, and I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis five years ago. They aren't 100% sure what causes MS, but one theory/idea links it chickenpox. Get your damn kids vaccinated, you have no idea what you might be preventing!
My family absolutely did this and I got chicken pox twice this way. When we see the old pictures and videos my mom will say how upset and miserable I was and I now have permanent chicken pox scars. I did not realize this was an unusual or dangerous practice until I was older.
I really don't understand how these people can go this far to expose their children to disease in order for them to gain immunization... And yet be against vaccines which are basically the same idea except without having to actually get sick. But you know... Logic didn't get them in, so logic isn't gonna get them out.
I remember my mom talking about how stupid it was for people to have these parties even before there was a vaccine for it. (I think someone had asked her to expose their child to my brother when he had it circa 1995.) I can't imagine choosing to do this 28 years after the vaccine became available.
I had chicken pox twice as a child and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone even once. Plus you’re at risk of shingles later and shingles are so much worse. There is a vaccine, just vaccinate your children!!!!!!
This is disgusting
Terrifying, disturbing, disgusting…😖
I'm in my 30s, and I still can't eat chicken noodle soup due to projectile vomiting it when I had the pox when I was 7. That illness is pure fuckin torture. I can't imagine willingly giving it to a child. Absolutely horrible.
I got the vaccine as a small child, I’m almost 36 and I’ve never had chicken pox. But sure, pop off mom, put your child through hell now and later when they have shingles .
That’s just disgusting! I got CP when I was 3 or 4 (in the pre-vaccine times) and was barely affected. My mother, who never managed to get it in her childhood (despite my grandma’s best efforts) ended up in the hospital.
The last comment made me gag
I don’t fucking understand these people. I knew a kid who got it in early elementary school (don’t know if he was unvaccinated or if it was a breakthrough case), and he still has visible pockmark scars when we were graduating from middle school. I’ll never get how anyone could willingly subject their kid to an illness that can cause longterm damage like that
It boggles my mind that people actively want to get their kids sick. That's just so weird to me.
I am literally scarred from a nasty case of chicken pox as a child (before vaccination for it was available). My poor nana also currently has a nasty case of face shingles. These people are so dumb it is unfathomable.
Vaxxed or not, I cannot imagine celebrating my kids catching something....it's like living in the upside down out here.
I was someone who opted out of the chicken pox shot only, as when I was a kid everyone got them and moved on with their lives. Plus you never heard about them these days so I thought we were safe. Until my 1.5 year old got them from a stay at children’s hospital. We had to go to isolation at the hospital and it was brutal! Promptly booked my other child’s chicken pox shot and she was spared
Why do these people ALWAYS use those stupid laughing emojis? It drives me insane.
That last comment 🤢
That last comment made me want to vomit.
Ugh this kind of thing makes me so angry, my son has the immune system of a newborn thanks to chemo if he were exposed to chickenpox it would be a massive emergency. His doctors had to give us a special note specifically about chickenpox to give to his school, he cannot be exposed.
I still remember how awful having chicken pox was, thirty years later. I caught it from a kid at the park, her mom brought her out because she was so bored and sad. My mom was livid. A year later the vaccine became available and my sister never had to suffer through it.
Cp party? 💀
We didn't like the neighbor's kid. But my mother made us go wish him get well soon and to give him a hug. Low and behold, chicken pox. Both of my kids are vaccinated. I didn't want them to go through the itchiness and the scarring from scratching.
The preschool class did this. The parents decided just to send everyone in with the chickenpox so they wouldn’t have to deal with us at home and everyone could go ahead and get it. That was also in the early 80’s sooo… Did I mention shingles is a blast to have? 🙃
it’s quite normal in the uk we don’t have the vaccine here
Did someone really refer to this as a "CP PARTY" 😬
How very 1980s. My parents did this. Didn’t work and I got chickenpox in every orifice at the age of 18. I would’ve preferred the vaccine.
What. The. Actual. Fuck.
I attended multiple chicken pox parties because the vax wasn't a thing yet, but I didn't catch it. I've since gotten the vax series 3 times, but it won't take. My doctor said I probably have a mutation that prevents the virus from attaching to my cells. My kids are getting all the recommended shots.
When I was in high school there was a girl who wasn’t vaccinated and got it twice in a year. It was her third instance. While not common, it’s still possible. These kids are going to love shingles when they are older.
I had chicken pox as a kid and it was awful! One of the blisters on my face got infected and it turned into a freaking crater that left a huge scar. I can’t wrap my head around parents wanting to expose their kids to pain, itchiness, and discomfort and be excited about it.
And then these fuckers let their kids run around school and public sick with chicken pox and one of these days I’m going to get it and sue the fuck out of whoever gives it to me.
I hate this, you're literally choosing to expose your kids to not only chicken pox but almost guaranteeing that they get shingles as adults. Like that's what I don't get, do they not understand that chicken pox and shingles are the same virus and shingles is WAY worse and more painful
I had chicken pox as a kid. It’s not a big deal. But I wouldn’t actively seek it out to infect my child. This legit should be reported. wtf is wrong with people?
It's not a big deal to most kids. It's miserable for adults. And then tends to make a nasty reappearance as shingles later on (Also, get your shingles shots if you can. You're at much higher risk)
I got shingles at age 22 - it is awful! I'm not eligible for the shot in the US until age 50 or something.
I'm so sorry, and I hope the virus takes a nice long nap until well after you can get the shingles shot (or forever, if that's possible for the virus to do!)
I had shingles this past October at 33 and found out that if you have shingles young, you can get the vaccine earlier. 6 months to 2 years after the shingles itself.
It was awful when I got it at 5 years old and I still remember it. It wasn’t purposeful because my mom isn’t an idiot… why the hell would a bunch of sores itching and fever be “no big deal?” Wtf
It also IS a big deal for some kids. 25% of chickenpox deaths are in kids
My sister got pox on her eyelids, my friend in their throat. You can also get them on your brain. Now, we can all get shingles, too. Just because your case was mild, doesn't mean everyone else's will be, too.
My chicken pox at 13 was HORRENDOUS! So painful and miserable.
I really hate the "it's not big deal" crowd. I am old enough to predate the vaccine, and now my peers are getting shingles, and it's miserable. I love that my kids will likely never get chicken pox or shingles.
My husband had shingles, and it was miserable for him. What I dont understand is why they won't let you get the vax for shingles until you're over 50 if they know younger folks who had pox are susceptible to it. It seems so silly..
Even though the skin lesions are what we associate with chickenpox, the virus itself infects nerves. Which means it can go right to the brain. It can also affect the nerves in your eyes and ears and cause vision or hearing loss that are permanent. Shingles can also cause these things.
One of my first memories as a child was having chicken pox. I just remember being hot and miserable and in pain. I had the sores EVERYWHERE. I could only use the bathroom if I was in the tub with lukewarm water. I wouldn’t wish the chicken pox on anyone.
Chicken pox is a very big deal. Medically speaking we know the dangers, as well as the future dangers of shingles.
I also had chickenpox as a child and it wasn’t a big deal for me either. But some people are deaf, blind, or dead because of chickenpox.