Today I took my two oldest daughters (8 and 6) to get the flu vaccine at the pharmacy. My wife got hers before Christmas and we have to take our youngest to the doctor for the shot since she is too young to get it done at the pharmacy. I filled out the requisite forms and went through the pros and cons with my daughters and asked for their consent before I signed to give consent on their behalf. I want them to feel and have some degree of control over their own bodies and optional medical treatments are one opportunity where I can give them some control and help to educate them about making decisions regarding their bodies. I also know that my six year old is not a fan of vaccines and I had hopes that giving her a sense of control would make the actual process better. Boy was I wrong. [Read more…]