Jake was a toddler when the vaccine started becoming popular, and it wasn't recommended yet, based on ... something I forget. He would have been four in 1995, and he got the pox that year, so that sounds right. Ben and Sara had it, though.

I grew up in the era of chicken pox parties. Remember those?

K-Bug got Chicken Pox the old fashioned way but CJ got the vaccine and now his doc is recommending a booster for it.

At the SDSU open house, the papers we got on housing HIGHLY recommended the meningococcal meningitus vaccine. It is not manditory, but you have to either get the vaccine or sign a waiver.

Plus, no one takes into consideration the wider parameters for diagnosing autism, nor the increased knowledge of doctors in being able to recognize the spectrum disorders as some thing other than "retardism".

I got chicken pox at five, so no parties. I clearly remember standing on the toilet seat so my mom could paint me with calamine, though. I had it so bad, down my throat, everywhere. I still have a scar on my chin.

It is not a "complicated issue." The only question you need to ask yourself is "Do I want my child to die of [insert childhood disease here]?" If the answer is no, GET THE FUCKING SHOTS. How many times does the autism myth need to be debunked before these people get it through their thick skulls that VACCINES SAVE FUCKING LIVES??????

Oh those people really burn my toast too!! And I'm not even a parent. When my sister-in-law was pregnant with my nephew last year her neighbor was all, "You're not getting the baby vaccinated are you?" because the neighbor has an autistic daughter who was vaccinated and a non-autistic son who was not. So that, to her, is PROOF! And my older niece is autisic spectrum so it made me so angry that this neighbor tried to play on my SiL's fears with her crazy, completely unsubstantiated theories.

Plus, no one takes into consideration the wider parameters for diagnosing autism, nor the increased knowledge of doctors in being able to recognize the spectrum disorders as some thing other than "retardism".

That and the fact that autism diagnostic rates continued to rise (most likely due to increased recognition rather than an actual increase in the rate of autism, as you point out) even after trimerisol was removed from the MMR shot "just to be safe." So unless trimerisol has access to a TARDIS, it ain't giving kids autism in 2008.

I had chicken pox at 7, and was exposed on purpose to my cousin (not Sox) who had it so that I'd be done with it. The person who was exposed to me (again, on purpose) got shingles later at about age 35. I keep meaning to read up on whether singles is more likely now for some reason than once upon a time.

the neighbor has an autistic daughter who was vaccinated and a non-autistic son who was not. So that, to her, is PROOF!

You know, I get that when it's personal, like your own kids, it feels like proof. But even so, a sample size of 2 proves nothing. The plural of "anecdote" is not "data."

after trimerisol was removed from the MMR shot "just to be safe

That's the kicker - Thimerisol was NEVER in MMR vaccines!!