#there need to be school programs that inform kids what is and isn't abuse and what to do and where to go if they're being abused

[prokopetz]

I think a lot of the skepticism and derision toward the idea of "gifted kid burnout" stems from the fact that a lot of folks have no idea what the gifted track in most high schools actually looks like; they've got this mental image, possibly informed by popular media depictions, of "gifted kids" as a privileged group of students who get to go on extra field trips, monopolise the teachers' attention in class, and constantly be told how special they are, but who are otherwise treated identically to all the other kids.

In practice, the gifted track in most high schools – most North American high schools, at any rate – has the same problem as any other educational program: the need to adhere to published metrics. These programs exist for the benefit of students only insofar as those benefits can empirically be measured, which leads to several common outcomes:

Students on the gifted track being afforded fewer choices regarding elective classes – often to the extent of having no choices at all – in order to stream the highest-performing students into the subjects that are most valuable in terms of boosting institutional metrics.

Students on the gifted tracking receiving restricted access to educational resources such as tutoring because it's perceived as a waste of funding. In many cases, gifted students are not only denied access to tutoring, but expected to serve as volunteer tutors and teaching assistants themselves, effectively becoming a source of unpaid educational labour for the schools they attend.

Students on the gifted track being assigned considerably more homework, often literally doubling their workload in an environment where homework loads are already routinely high enough that kids have difficulty finding time to eat and sleep, simply because you get more measurable academic performance data that way.

The upshot is that the gifted track is often less about fun perks and constant praise, and more about receiving less freedom, fewer resources, and heavier workloads than one's peers, getting strong-armed into providing unpaid labour to the school on top of it, and constantly being told one should be grateful for it – and that's without touching on the fact that the unspoken secondary purpose of many gifted programs is to serve as a quarantine for all the neurodivergent kids the school couldn't find an excuse to institutionalise or expel.

Like, shit, there's a reason kids on the gifted track exhibit elevated rates of alcoholism and substance abuse compared to general student populations. That doesn't arise in a vacuum!

(To be clear, I'm not saying that people graduating from high school and immediately having an existential crisis upon realising they're not special after all isn't a thing that happens, but in my experience that's more usually something that happens to the kids who were on the football team, and reframing it as a nerd culture thing is really weird.)

[whoneedssexed]

Is it true that homeschooling in the U.S. is typically done for religious reasons, that's it's not regulated at all and that the children are at a disadvantage, or that they can be abused more easily? I hear about it but when looking it up all I see is stuff for COVID homeschooling reasons.

That it's typically for religious reasons? Not sure about that, especially depending on how one might define as "religious". Some people may talk about how the Christian g-d is their reasoning for pulling their kids out, but nothing they teach has anything to do with Christianity and more to do with conspiracy theories.

That it's not regulated? Unfortunately, this one is true. There are very few regulations, nobody's required to teach their children accurate information, or any information at all. There are a few regulations that basically make it so that the children/families aren't defying any compulsory education laws and the kids are accounted for, but each state is different in how this mandatory reporting works.

This is of course very dependent on what each state wants, but for the most part in the country there's very few defined rules. Here's a link that quickly goes over some of the legalities in homeschooling, and which states actually put effort towards educating children in the home.

That they are at a disadvantage? It can be true, yes, especially for the many parents who choose to "unschool" or otherwise remove schooling from their children entirely. While some have a much more structured approach on this, a lot of people have taken this to mean not even trying to educate their children. You can partly thank the internet for this, in my opinion, as it allows these types of knuckleheads to spread nonsense like that (think facebook mom type of groups).

There's also arguments made that homeschooling limits a child's social development, as they are around a lot less people and peers their age, and don't experience the typical interactions of the world.

This isn't always the case, however, as some homeschooling is done through actual programs offered by education experts, and classes kids can attend at their leisure. This allows them more socialization and to stay up to date, while also giving them the space and freedom to get what they need out of it.

So when it comes to disadvantages, it is heavily case by case.

That they are more likely to be abused? Well, it really depends on how you define abuse in this sense.

Of course, some people absolutely can and will argue that refusing to teach things like basic math or reading skills is abusive, or that forcing kids to believe your theories of the world is abusive, let alone that "withholding socialization" from them can be seen as abusive as well.

But some families abuse in ways that there are no gray areas about, such as families that intentionally leave their girls in the dark because they do not believe women have rights, or that use their older children to enforce punishment and be free babysitters under the guise of "homeschooling". These are pretty clearly abusive.

There was an uptick in abuse cases when children had to stay home as a result of the pandemic. The problem with these stats is that there are so many factors going into them that it's hard to say for certain any specific thing that makes the abuse more likely. Particularly big contributors include the stress of trying to juggle everything added with the fact that just being around someone more often increases the likelihood of abuse. These are two things that homeschooling can fall prey to.

So again, it's really a case-by-case thing.

The major problem is there isn't, and never was, a one-size-fits-all solution on education. That's why a lot of parents choose to homeschool - because their children are not succeeding in a formal public classroom as a result of needing something different than what is being presented to them. This is what a lot of parents with kids who have disabilities have to wrestle and contend with. In the same vein the lack of regulation of education can allow all the negative aspects to flourish. We see the same thing in public schools.

I'm not sure how things are run in other countries, maybe they have figured out something we haven't (which is very likely, considering the amount of things we are so far behind in).

But for the most part, what you've heard is true, it's just not always true for all homeschooled kids.

mod BP

[mizakikimoto]

I post this picture all the time: me dressed up as a scientist.

Science is the other half of my religion. It's not a subject, or a career, or something political. It's an element of reality, that explains the laws of the physical realm.

Just like Jehovah and Jesus have influenced my worldview so do these truths.

I don't like titles, tribes. I hate the idea of being reduced to one thing. But...I think Christian Humanism says a lot about me. About one part of me.

I hate the idea of pollution, but I've waited years to have a day where I can safely burn this résumé. Maybe just tear it up. That's probably a better idea.

There's a lot to me; theoretically, ideally. The part of me that spends hours a day reading random articles about “stuff” is just as equal to the part of me that wants to play video games for hours. It’s the same part honestly.

I used to have a life. Among other things I used to do science experiments in my great-grandmother's condo in Matteson (IL).

I have a mind that isn't like most, too. I have more horsepower, if you want to put it that way.

But for the past 23 years society has refused to acknowledge me. 

When I lost access to the burbs, all I had were the stereotypes based on certain “demographic attachments”. People needed me to be some “helpless urban youth”. People always wanted to put me in “programs” to try to solve problems that clearly didn't exist.

The problem was that I was being abused. But ALL South Side kids are bad, according to stereotypes, so I was clearly lying. The problem was that I was in a school that was like daycare to me. But ALL South Side kids are bad, according to stereotypes, so I was being difficult. The problem is I WAS dealing with racism, but…how can a *Black” kid who doesn't look “Black” deal with that?

For years I’ve told people in plain English, with different phrasing: “I need to get back to my life”. But there’re these lenses people refuse to stop seeing me through.

I am homeless. Being pushed towards public housing. Being given information on hotels hiring. What the hell does that have to do with me? Or those dumb “youth programs”. Or all the “sit downs” people have tried to have with me?

I’m constantly being painted as mentally ill. No. No. I’m super smart. But that goes against people’s prejudices, assumptions. So…my words are a lie to these people.

But let me tell you motherfuckers something:

I think it's possible that cancer is the body's faulty attempt at rapid evolution. Like the body trying to grow an organ or appendix to deal with things it wasn't made to deal with.

I got the idea when I was maybe 16. I was standing at a bus stop across from the Bank of America Theater, I think. It was cold, during the winter, in the evening. I was shivering, and thinking about how shivering served a purpose: to warm the body.

I don’t know why: but I thought about something I read or watched on cancer. It reminded me of something I read or watched on how organs develop in the womb.

And so...most adaptations/changes in the body are due to generations of exposure, blah blah blah.

But then everything changed super fast: in lifestyle, diet, environment. The body wasn't used to that, and the changes were so radical. So...it had to adapt, quick. But it's not used to doing what might take thousands of years...in one lifetime. So its quick attempt at doing it...just doesn't work. It hasn't figured it out, and it hurts us instead.

So, if this is true, to stop cancer from killing us: do we guide this evolution to the intended result, do we stop it, or are both options?

…

But people are relentless in their view of me.

I will fucking be acknowledged again. Fuck your own ignorance, prejudice, and all that shit. 

Fuck that résumé, and these job applications.

I have 23 years of shit to catch up on. And that’s what’s gonna fuckin’ happen.

I will be acknowledged.

-Chris

[spirituallyme2]

TF Journey... Not a positive post because that's just not where I've been lately. I've been falling apart since I met my the person who happens to be my twin soul. I remember looking up all of my symptoms and being shocked after a reading confirmed this. I wanted a soulmate in my life. Not this heart wrenching dynamic where I'm alone and can't get someone I don't talk to out of my head. I literally don't want to be a part of this.

The "supernatural" phenomenons that come with this journey means that you can't even tell a regular therapist about this. They'd look at you like you're crazy. You can't even really be treated for limerance because that's not what this is. This is against my will. Why is this persons name, date of birth, car and everything else suddenly me everyday. My toddlers literally say this persons name several times a day and points out their birthday even though they weren't taught this information. How is this possible?

I see plenty of videos of people trying to manifest a twin flame and I wonder if they know what they're asking for... how miserable and agonizing the journey can be. There's no guarantee for union because this journey isn't a romantic one. It's about you. Most of the stories I hear are people who grow old with this pain and never have another fulfilling relationship in their lives. Their twin flame haunts them.

I'm literally fighting for my life right now and want to give up every single day. I wanted a soulmate but God said, you get no one. You can work on all your traumas while you're struggling as a single parent. Your brain will obsess over someone you barely know against your will. You weren't ever loved and experienced gut wrenching traumas all your life? Here's some more pain because what I have you wasn't enough.

I don't even have childcare, my children aren't school aged and they're not sleeping through the night. I don't get to sleep and I don't have any help so I'm tired. It's literally just me 24/7

If I didn't have kids... I wouldn't voluntarily sit through this journey. This feels like the straw that broke the camel's back. I would've definitely tapped out. It feels like a cruel joke from the universe.

Their father raped me for years and he still abuses us. I was severely abused the first 18 years of my life by my mom and her husband and a good part of that was in a 3rd world country where I really suffered. After I had my first baby, I couldn't take him home from the hospital for 5 months. I watched him die and be brought back.. my heart couldn't handle all this. I started dissociating. Two emergency c-sections, two NICU stays and enduring their father's abuse.

The military almost broke me. I don't even need to expand on that.

I'm late diagnosed autistic so I didn't know why I was different all my life. I didn't learn to make friends so I've been alive for 3 decades without friends. Life is so lonely sometimes. My traumas have also led me to live a life of solitude. I have no personal relationships other than my children.

I have treatment resistant depression with suicidal thoughts. There's nothing doctors can do for me. They tried treating me for years with so many different therapies. My baseline is literally not wanting to be alive every single day.

My mother's last text to me was her saying she didn't care...

I just wanted to experience love in my life. Connection with another human being. I feel like with children, they have no choice but to love you. They're programmed to do that and it's transactional when they're young. I'm the person that meets all their needs.

I wonder if I'll get to experience love or happiness before I die. I wonder if I'll get to feel what it's like to not be passively suicidal everyday. I wonder if my life will ever have been worth it because it's definitely not right now.

I finally made up my mind to live in solitude and try to love myself as is and then I met the person who my brain would obsess over and there's nothing I can do about it. This just threw me all the way off. I want off of this ride.

Am I making up for being a horrible person in a past life? Is this a punishment? Is earth a prison for me and living is my own personal hell? I believe it because I don't see anything else that proves otherwise

[herkingmentality-shesunbreakable]

Still working out during the quarantine. Sometimes I joke about losing weight and trying to look good while being blacklisted since 2007 after filing sexual harassment against The Galt House Hotel and Molly Ellis.

I have been burned, raped, neurally raped, gang stalked, exploited and humiliated and degraded by people I thought I could trust and I cared about but no one means more to me than my own daddy. I lost my dad after moving to Kentucky and becoming blacklisted and I was told in 2018 that he died of a heart attack. I was told carelessly and without compassion and my dad's nephew who my dad helped raise and put into private schools isn't trying to tell me where my dad has been buried. I believe in karma. I am a vicitm of rape, torture, fraud, organized crime and I have 13 years of documentation and proof. The video's that I post about neural rape and directed energy weapons have been sponsored and the people who are on Truthstream Media get paid to talk about universal mind control and nerual rape and brain hacking. I may look as if I am alone but I am not alone. I could not be online today backing up my own story without all the people and and years of work put into exposing satellite terrorism.

I have named people by name, companies and I have posted script that prove our presidents, senators, state representatives, governor's and judges are brutally raping people who were born into programs like "Blue Bird Project" and I meet hundreds and hundreds and now thousands of people when I go into these warehouse locations that work with agencies like Cointel Pro, Infargard, Darpa and Nasa and NSA and I am laid off, fired after enduring months of physical abuse and rape and mobbing. I have proof that organized crime is basically everywhere: Colleges, education programs, clinic's like Norton's and Portland Clinic in Kentucky. CSL plasma clinics use their phlebotomist to rape you and torture you with thick needles. I reported CSL plasma so much I have been deferred. Once I was stuck by a white man named Tommy who told me black people only change the world if they are beaten like Rodney King. I was also tortured by a black man there who told me he works with the feds and he tortured me with the plasma needle which is very thick. Organized crime is now a part of work places and it will and is now like a military base. What happens to people in the military? They kill, stalk, rape women and girls and boys and men including their own. Soilders have to be dehumanized. And it has been said that people will work around 9 out of 10 informates. Let me explain this...I was raped at Yamamoto FB and NHK and people gas lit me and triggered me about rape and mental telepathy and being cooked to a boil sweating at work. So now my kids if I had some don't have to join the army to be dehumanized or raped. Now, you can have standards and say "I am not having sex." And you can still be neurally and mentally raped. And men you work with and women can gas light you about sex with the perpetrator as if you really had physical and consenting sex with him. Or her. I was neurally raped at Yamamoto FB and men told me the perpetrator would ruin my wet dreams. I was told thay I love fucking white men and that I prefer small dicks. I was mocked about mind to mind telepathy. And a man kept asking me if I could feel and see him think sexual thoughts of him. I was told I was under operation Batman (my supervisor Bruce Bradford a marine was called Batman, The Hulk and Bruce Almighty). I was tortured from 12-2018 through 09-2019 until I was fired for making a threat in text. I texted a so called friend and told her that my HR Manager Heidi L. Dean has a son and that karma and life will show her that she has aided rapists and been involved in organized crime way too long. I am not the first woman at Yamamoto FB that was bullied out after being sexually assaulted. I was sexually assaulted by a man who slapped my ass and yelled "you are not a lesbian. You're bisexual." Same man that told me I love white dick as if he knew I was being neurally raped or "day dreaming" of sexual fantasies.

Mind control is universal. Some women and men have no clue about it and the crazy part is...you can be mind controlled to be angry. You can be mind controlled to focus on depression. And you can be mind controlled not knowing it and have sex with the person you are mind controlled of. I have been told my two men who worked for Yamamoto FB that Troy Smith was fired along with Bruce Bradford. And that Bruce had sex with a woman that just started working there and he called her a bitch and they fired him.

Its wild when you are targeted and mobbed and you know that this man made himself an accessory to organized crime. I left the dept. Bruce worked in and he was allowed to hoover me for 45m to 2 hours a day in another dept. before I moved to 2nd shift to get away from him. Its wild to be a target and know men like Troy Smith can gas you like he mind reads and men like Bruce and Darryl Keels...women are sleeping with rapists and I know it and its just wild. The plant manager at Yamamoto named Darryl Keels is still there.

People need to prepare their kid's to be mind strong. Knowledge is power. Your child can become a target for reporting a co worker or for exposing a slum landlord. I was targeted and I dropped the lawsuit against The Galt House hotel.

We are now living in a world were veteran's that killed and raped and stalked and harmed get desk jobs and become supervisors...there is a cop who sodomized a girl who was arrested on camera in jail. And he got a desk job and salary pay. So...when I went into Yamamoto FB and all these other companies involved in organized crime...I walked into a field of men who have raped, trafficked drugs through the company and after they mob me and rape me...they are still there for another person. I am blacklisted. Everyone is targeted, exploited and tracked.

[whimsically-ominously-auspice]

This is per day.

This is strict education.

This is doing assignments to prove knowledge exists in three brain

This is not learning time as we Learn 24/7.

This is the amount of time you need to be focused on your child's education per day.

I know some schools are providing a different curriculum but look... This was thrown on you in a flash.

I haven't said much or gave you guidelines because you need to learn if it's too hard or too easy or you need a break.

Some may not taken it seriously or too seriously.

So this is reality. Anymore is going to fry your childs brain to take tests all day long or write all day.

So they may not mind but they could be over achieving

Which is blessed to have such a child however you need to guide them to overachieve without stress. So they don't burn out.

Now you can set your pre-k to 12 grader at the computer for up to 8 hours of fun on education websites such as Sea World's, time 4 learning. And Other fun education.

Also Netflix had a great history program which wad absolutely amazing and i will Google and post it here.

My kid... We don't book work and write. We read or watch tv and i check for attention.

"So what did the President say in 1986 regarding AIDS?" dude she will give so much information I will wonder if we were in the same room together.

If she doesn't or didn't pay attention to something insignificant... I ask do you want to rewatch it or move on?

I'm not gonna lie. She is better at learning then i am. I have brain damage, physical brain damage and developed ADD in my 20s. Like i couldn't even read a magazine much less a book. So paying attention is more difficult for me.

So she exceeds my expectations by far.

I don't feel dumb i feel gratified that she pays attention and i feel proud of her. I tell Her she will be a success in life.

I was Valedictorian for high school in 1999.

So not a big deal. That I'm not so good about it now

But people who aren't great in grade school can shine in adult hood

So, don't stress!!!!

Use this time to spend with your kid. Thats it. In an educational atmosphere..that's all babes. Just spending time together as a family.

I saw that one lady's schedule with PE every morning. Pop in some yoga. That will go under the time limits above, especially in a pinch.

So little kids especially love learning. So 20 minutes? They could do 6 hours easy. They love learning and have the most to learn but they need rest midway. Naps.

So look if you are an overachiever and you're all no,way in Hell is my kid only doing 5 hours a day. You need to put in one hour of naptime. And one hour of yoga. That's 7 hours

Then you need to shove it. Because they're not going to learn much more than resentment.

So half time is strict time like test/assignments.

The other half is learn fun time.

Basics:

Math is paperwork. Grammar and spelling is paperwork

History and science is not. Those are verbal questions.

Can you just set your kid up a blog and tell them to write 17 sentences about whatever they want and it count as school?

Fuck yes because that is gonna stimulate their mind on its own and you will learn most about your kid.

Then you can give advice on sentence structure, pronoun and adjective use

But for them to listen to you you have to prove you know what you talk about. "Look this is an adjective and I think we can look in the thesaurus for a word with the same meaning but isn't the word pretty and we can expand your vocabulary because sometimes people like to not read pretty 5 times in one story. So let's use the word pretty first because it is easiest yo understand then let's get 4 more words that mean the same thing and use those instead."

It is 20 minutes and it is a time of learning yourself and learning with your kid and expanding their limitations. And seeing the world through their eyes.

And you should blog, too. And they can help you edit.

Now using pretty 5 times is also fine. A child may insist they want to use the same words but as why. And if they don't want to change their paper that's fine.

But you can still look up the different 4 words and then have them write them one time each so they feel more comfortable with a change.

You'll see over time they will add words they want to use they learned from you.

Because some kids are just stubborn. My own daughter is that way at times. Like "no what i think i have is perfect"

"Okay then. That is great. I love your confidence. So let's let's do another lesson then. And then work on handwriting. Okay lets just look up 4 words that mean beautiful..." You can add a muse like -- i wonder if beautiful means pretty, too -- because some kids simply don't trust you can use one word to mean the same thing as another. The color yellow is the color yellow. Its ONLY yellow.

So only pretty means pretty. So it's not the focus to force your brain into theirs

The focus is to allow the gradual process of learning.

The difference between institution learning and home based free skill learning.

So, for the assignment you have them write the word on paper with crayon or pen, their choice on paper of their choice or what limited resources you have. And so once for introduction. Then 2nd time for acceptance then 3rd time for familiarity.

But don't drill it into them. Like slow. At their pace if it takes 40 minutes for a 1st grader its fine.

While you may feel they are rejecting they may be day dreaming about the word. Feeling It. Absorbing it.

So give a ten minute limit per word tho. Its 4 words. So

Then allow them to color on that same paper. Or draw. Tell them to keep it with them to look at during commercials or when bored. Then put it on the fridge at their eye level. This will give them comfort in learning

Especially if they have had an abusive or unkind and impatient teacher.

So the next day you look up the word "glamorous" pick 4. Write 3x and even if it is the same 4... Just ask "i want to know if you remember if we used that word this week, if you wrote it down already"

If they go look and see they did then tell them it's okay we csn do it again it seems that that word is calling out to you to be heard.

If they are picking certain words a lot then you can move to writing definitions of those words. 1x each.

Sometimes you may need to simplify the definition in your own words and that is great.

Children from pre-k to Seniors in high school can do this. Now a senior you may want them to write the word 5x or not. 3x is fine.

Have them use paper and pencil tho and don't criticize their handwriting. If you honestly can't read it then let them know but if you can and its messy let it go.

They may be doctor when they grow up.

Now in order for them to write legible you need to turn off distractions and tell them to take their time

If you normally use a timer, turn it off. Let them take their time focus and concentration to focus on how they control a writing instrument.

After what you think is a long time. Half hour or 45 minutes give them a snack and have a chat about anything. Apple and juice or water and cake or milk and crackers. Whatever. Small snack with some type of quality. Cake isn't healthy but water is. So 20 minutes or however long your talk with them is... And their snack. So distract them. Let them shake it all out and then have them to finish. They should speed up. Having had positive or neutral interaction with their teacher and being allowed to have an input that is taking serious and considered equally as much ws the parent's is will really just feed their soul and so say "okay let's finish this so we can move on" as opposed to just hurry up give a Reason why they should hurry.

I say "hurry along" a lot because it usually something said while walking. And the word along isn't alone. "Hurry along side me So i don't lose you on accident"

And while hurry up means the same exact thing its used in a rude voice quite often. And it means urgent or stress. So i save that for an urgent time.

Hurry along at your pace, I'll follow you... Along side you, I am.

Hurry up means i am ahead and you are behind.

So yall got skills deeply embedded inside each of you. Allow your child to help you blossom

That is why we have kids. To help us grow as humans. Not just in population but also in mind and soul.

[vaccinationattitudesaustral-blog]

Australia's 'No Jab, No Pay' policy requires scrutiny

Vaccine Hesitant: After viewing the above video, I have concerns over the policy and the unintended consequences it might have. For one, the policy only targets those who receive welfare and not wealthier families, who are actually far more likely to reject vaccinations according to Julia Senier, assistant professor in sociology and anthropology and health sciences at Northeastern University in the U.S. (I can link you if you'd like to see her article)

Pro-Vaccinator: It is a great initiative, and I am all for the policy. Vaccination is a public health issue and everyone should be vaccinated as a child unless there are legitimate medical reasons not to be. You anti-vaxxers need to stop being so selfish and take off your tin foil hats.

VH: Hi, PV. I don't actually have children yet, but I am pregnant with my first so I have been trying to do as much research as I can regarding vaccinations. I don't think the world is flat though, so I'm not sure if I deserve the 'foil hat' label. I understand your concerns, and I always thought I would vaccinate my children but the more I talk to people and the more de-traditionalised society becomes, I think anti-vaccination arguments are actually becoming more rational, in a sense.

PV: I'm not sure what you mean about it being more rational, could you explain that a little more? I have three kids and all of them have been vaccinated, and all of them are fine. I'd rather them alive and with autism than dead because of a vaccine-preventable disease.

VH: I, of course, would rather my child alive as well, but obviously at their happiest and healthiest is the goal and autism isn't always the only worry. In terms of rationality, I just think our society has been moving towards a different narrative in terms of public health. Health is now promoted by focusing on lifestyle and individual actions and we are taking more personal responsibilities. I cannot talk for everyone, but I definitely feel like visits to my GP now involve shared decision-making, when it didn't before. It is becoming more and more common to actively contribute in your own care, and I think that can be empowering.

PV: Will it also be empowering when your unvaccinated child gives a baby whooping cough? Vaccination is for the greater good, and is absolutely necessary to keep babies and the immunocompromised safe. There is a reason governments focus on vaccination programs, and it is to keep us all safe. Have you ever had small pox? No. You can thank science for that.

VH: Well to be honest that notion of 'social obligation' certainly does worry me, and I think it worries a lot of others as well. A huge number of Australian's are vaccine hesitant, they just don't question it and it's probably because they are afraid it will backfire. Obviously I haven't had small pox, but I have had the chicken pox and the flu and I survived. Can you tell me it is absolutely necessary to make children have these vaccines too?

PV: A huge number of Australian's vaccinate anyway because not doing so is neglectful and should be classed as child abuse. Science has proven vaccinations are safe and effective, and they have eradicated or drastically reduced a number of diseases, how do people conveniently forget that fact?

VH: I don't think labelling parents as neglectful is useful in this context. People who are vaccine hesitant love their children just as much as you do, and genuinely believe they are doing what is best for their child. Why do you get to say what I should and shouldn't do for MY child? Doctors might be able to say 'most vaccines are safe for most children' but are they safe for MY child? It cannot be guaranteed.

PV: So you're happy to be a free rider who gets the benefits of herd immunity without taking the risk?

VH: I think the fact that you are acknowledging a risk is important in itself... If there is a risk, there should definitely be a choice. I agree vaccines have been an important health initiative all around the world, but I also think we need to consider just how much other advances in our society might have had an impact. I would think our improving hygiene practices have made some kind of difference?

PV: That probably has made a difference, but I don't think that could have ever achieved the complete eradication of a disease. Why are there so many people that are so distrusting of science these days?

VH: Because science is not finite like everyone thinks it is, it is ever-evolving. I also think it goes deeper than just science or distrust in doctors. I think that distrust in our own government plays a huge part, which is why the 'No Jab, No Pay' and the 'No Jab, No Play' policies are so concerning. They further segregate the working class families who are on welfare, and people are not seeing the bigger picture here. Our government has made a habit out of discriminating against minority groups, hence the current plebiscite on gay marriage, the proposal to drug test before paying Centrelink benefits, the slashing of penalty rates or the never-ending issues with our indigenous population.

PV: Now you are just slinging your leftist views on things that have nothing to do with vaccination.

VH: Not at all, I'm sorry if you feel like I got side-tracked but I think criticising the vaccination policy is very important. If people receive less welfare, then isn't that going to be to the detriment of their children? And if they are not allowed in to schools, it's just going to cut off early learning and won't that have other long term societal consequences? Like I said, there is a bigger picture. If the government are looking to make budget cuts, maybe more commitment to nutrition and other lifestyle improvements should be looked at considering the amount of money that is spent on things like diabetes or cardiovascular disease every year.

PV: I suppose I agree there, we should be starting from the ground up when it comes to our health. I still think that vaccinating your child is the right thing to do, and quite frankly I do think it should be compulsory because children dying of preventable disease outweighs any societal impacts. The government should also be looking at making the correct information more readily available because I don't see anyone from either side backing down from what they believe in.