The Pediatrician Can Kiss My Ass

Today was the day my wife @marxrab and I took our daughter to the pediatrician for her 16 month checkup. They called yesterday asking us to come in at 10 am instead of 10:45. So we got there at 10 and did not even get called back until about 10:55, which (excuse my French) is fucking bullshit. I mean, why did you ask us to come in 45 minutes early to begin with? Did you really think you were going to be ready to see us at that time?

-Me entertaining my daughter during the long wait.

People should speak up about stuff like that, but I imagine most dont. And after we got back there and got her weighed we waited a while longer and then instead of the doctor, some med student came in and just asked us a bunch of questions. What I get sick of here are the judgmental attitudes and the condescending advice. It is none of their business that our daughter co-sleeps instead of sleeping alone in a crib, and it should not be their place to tell us how to discipline her (we basically dont, shes 16 months). But they think they have all the answers and that their way is the only way.

-My cousin posted this meme on facebook just today.

Then at some point past 11:30 am the doctor comes strolling in. Thats right, 11:30 for a 10 am appointment. The first thing she does is try to get us to agree to let them give our daughter a flu shot. We told her absolutely not. I am not an anti-vaxer (although it is all right with me if you are, and I do keep an open mind on the subject). However, I am concerned that kids may be getting too many vaccines, which could be leading to other health problems (including but not limited to rising autism rates). To be clear, I definitely support vaccinating children for MMR, polio, small pox, and other deadly ailments that we are lucky not to have to worry about anymore, but there are other illnesses such as chicken pox that I think may not be worth the risk.

Overall, sometimes I feel like these doctors are representatives of the state that are looking to intimidate us into falling in line and doing things their way. If you dont play along you will end up being targeted. I got this impression a few months back when our daughter had not been in for a checkup for a while. Part of the reason actually was that they canceled at least one appointment, and then we canceled one or two as well. We are very focused on our daughter's health, but it was clear she was doing fine, and we just kinda wanted to take a break from the vaccines. I mean, just cause you are willing to vaccinate your kid does not mean you have to follow their hectic schedule. There is no reason the vaccines cannot be spread out over a longer period. I think it is a more safe way to go and puts your child at less risk for adverse effects, which they smugly deny even the possibility of existence.

My point is that when she ended up not going to the doctor for an extended period, they harassed us when we did bring her back and acted as if we were obligated to bring her in there as often as they wanted. Last I checked this is a free country where we are free to raise our child as we see best (within reason, of course). I just do not like the idea that everyone has to be a product of the system and do things the way the state/medical system advocates. They are not always right, and even when they are it is still our right as parents to go our own way.

Please do no think I am a bad parent. I love my daughter and want what is best for her, and if something was wrong with her I would not hesitate to seek medical help from professionals. I just feel like going to the doctor for a checkup should not be such a trying experience and that the medical professionals should be a little more respectful of parents rights to raise their kids as they choose. Believe it or not, people are capable of survival without the state.