Alright, I have to step up on my soapbox for a minute. The rate of parents not immunizing their children is soaring in Idaho and this Mama is not a-okay with it. 

Maybe I just need to try to understand where these parents are coming from, but right now I don't.

According to new statistics by the Department of Health and Welfare, 7.7 % of kindergarten, first-grade, and seventh-grade students in the state of Idaho have at least one immunization exemption. It's at an all-time high that has increased from 6.4% two years ago.

I suppose it's because I've come from a world where immunizations did initially scare me and through extensive research I've become very pro-vaccination.

My oldest son has a high-functioning form of Autism. Shortly after he received his MMR vaccination at 18 months his language regressed, he became distant and disconnected, and he started throwing huge tantrums over seemingly small things. When he was officially diagnosed as being on the Autism Spectrum, actress Jenny McCarthy was on the anti-vaccine bandwagon and I was just sure that vaccines were to blame. In the end, I was wrong. I started noticing traits of Autism in my family and pieced together that it was genetics, not vaccines that caused him to be on the spectrum.

I don't know if it is still this same myth that is keeping parents from vaccinating their children, but not a single scientific study shows a correlation between Autism and vaccines.

What is truly terrifying is when we have a Measles outbreak like we did in Washington recently.

So help me understand. If you aren't vaccinating your children, why are you making that choice? Is there something I'm missing, because I think one thing we can all agree on is that we'll do anything to keep our precious children safe and well.

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