Mother Knows Best

Last week was one of those where my emotions were so beaten and battered that I began to manifest physical symptoms. The cause you ask? (and even if you didn't I'm going to tell you) My tiny bean has been enrolled in school. Now this in and of itself is cause for some serious postpartum depression but the simple act of enrollment was further complicated by a terrifying series of...doctor...things. Turns out that for any child to be accepted into any school in Southern California every child has to have A) a physical B) a tuberculosis test and C) immunizations. Now for most parents I'm assuming this is probably no big deal but to me the fear was suffocating. I wasn't sure how I was going to go about finding a doctor since we had never needed one since we moved here. I wasn't sure what I would do once I did find a doctor as my belief in Western medicine is swiftly fading and the mere thought of a doctor doing anything to my child makes my blood boil. I also wasn't sure how to approach the subject of immunizations. I knew I wouldn't allow her to receive the 'inoculations' but would that disqualify her from school? I just didn't know.
Eventually everything turned out fine but not before the doctor tried to scare me into vaccinations with stories of arcane diseases coming over the Mexican border (including brain worms. can you even imagine?). Not before three nurses had to restrain my poor traumatized bean to give her a TB test to which she ended up having a severe reaction. Not before I had to explain my 'personal ethics' of non-vaccination to the school nurse and then later to the district nurse. And not before I had to argue my point and then walk out of a dentist's office because the nurses thought I was being unrealistic by not allowing my 4 year old to receive oral x rays. (SoCal schools also require an oral exam for first time students, luckily there is an opt out form.) So much trauma in one short week. I don't think I've been so morally outraged since....well, I guess I've never been this outraged. The very idea that all of these so-called specialists think they know what's best for my child, when in fact most of them have no idea of the bodily harm their 'procedures' cause, makes me want to scream.
Thankfully the worst is over and now I just have to start working on steeling my nerves for the First Day of School.