Sanctiparent.

So, Archer is coming up to having his six month vaccines. Which means it is exactly two months since I found out an acquaintance does not vaccinate their children because "it's too much of a shock to the system".

Normally, I would try and forget these things, it's honestly none of my business, and as long as my children are vaccinated, which they are and always will be, it's not a huge deal. I could go on a bit about herd immunity here, but I won't, because that's a bit like beating a dead horse when it comes to the anti-vax crowd.

But I sort of feel like this person traps us into talking about our parenting simply to judge us.

When Bob couldn't come up with a solid argument about vaccine efficacy and benefits beyond "That's not how it works, dickhead." (I'm the researcher in this household), this Sanctidparent did the "I'm so smug because I've done the research. Poison your kids with the dreaded vaccines if you like, my kids will be HEALTHY."

Also, I was little shocked, because I have often read anti-vaxxers on places like BabyCenter swear up one side and down another they always tell parents of newborns that their children aren't vaccinated because that is what is responsible, because newborns are vulnerable to vaccinable diseases, especially whooping cough, which is becoming ever more prevalent in western communities.

But not a peep, not when Bob was coming into contact with this person day after day when our son was just 2 weeks old. They only decided to comment when Bob commented that we vaccinated. Complete scumbag act in my opinion.

My rage over that subsided. Archer was now vaccinated and no ill had come of it, so we'd continue to parent our way and their family their way, with my rant kept just between Bob and me.

And then we moved Archer to his cot and out came Sanctiparent again. "What are you doing? You can't do that! He's too young! Petri Dish the Youngest (PDY) still sleeps in our bed at 2.5, so PDY can breastfeed several times a night."

First of all, let's be honest here, some of indignation here was born of jealousy, as I had wanted to breastfeed Lily at least until two, but wasn't able to.

Second of all, we moved Archer to his cot because while we don't mind co-sleeping, it's really not for us. And he had well and truly outgrown the bassinet. We don't sleep well and neither have either of our children when we co-sleep. Lily co-slept exclusively for about a month at 15 months and then just stopped. Won't even entertain the idea now, no matter how sick she is or how tired we are.

And honestly, I always thought that as long as you were employing SIDS safe techniques, most people don't really give a crap how or where your kid sleeps. Unless you are an incredible arsehole. Or a Sanctiparent.

After venting to a mummy friend about it, I felt better. I still really felt like we had innocently commented on our parenting choices, in a non aggressive, shooting the breeze, kind of way and been attacked, but once again I had had my rant and was pretty over it.

And then Bob got me going again. Everytime he tells me something about this person, he begins it the same way, "I have something to tell you. You're going to be mad."

Apparently PDY had had a temperature last night over 40 degrees (wait, I thought you didn't vaccinate so your kids would be healthier?). And Sanctiparent, apparently as weird about hospitals as vaccines, did not take PDY to the doctor. Now, I can understand. Paeditricians spend 10 years training just to line kids up in emergency rooms and inject them with vaccines and unnecessary antibiotics without even looking at them. It's terrifying. They wield a needle filled with diseases, mercury and foetuses in one hand and penicillian in the other and just jab away. That's why we avoid the shit out of those places.

Or not.

The reason a child of that age needs to see a doctor when they have such a high temperature is that fevers of this degree, while often caused by viruses, can be the sign of much more sinister things. Blood and urine tests should be performed, as well as a check of all the usual places kids get gross things going on, such as ears and throat. A temperature of 40 degress is not normal, and a tiny body is probably trying to tell you something when it heats itself that high. They are also at risk of febrile seizures.

Additonally, fevers are sometimes the first sign of diseases that are vaccine preventable, like measles. Which my son, at almsot 6 months cannot be vaccinated for for another 6 months.

For fuck's sake, just vaccinate your kids, moron.