Trudy, may I tag this please?

Please do!

That is hopeful. In my community, I see a lot of "soft" antivaxism - people who have just the wrong combination of privilege and ignorance so that "too many too soon" seems like common sense.

It's not going to make them autistic, but it is stressful and can make them feel like shit. If an alternate schedule mitigates that where is the harm?

You all read the J Crew ridiculousness, right? I was pleasantly surprised when I saw a (male) psychologist on GMA point out the ridiculousness of thinking that painting a little boy's toenails pink is in some way socializing him to not be male. Like the kid is going to resent his peen and cut it off, or something.

I saw it mentioned that no one would bat an eye if it had been a little girl in overalls playing with a truck. It's total boyfail. All you're saying is, "'girl stuff' is bad and beneath you." Which is a shitty thing to do to a kid.

My brother had a complete fit about the idea of my nephew going to dancing school. I spoke with the teacher, and she said that dads (and moms) sometimes have difficulty with it. She sort of rolls her eyes and explains, "girls like dudes who can move on the dancefloor." She also mentioned that it seemed to be a white thing. Dancing doesn't seem to be thought of as "sissy" shit in other cultures, sometimes. See also, "strictly ballroom."

Do other media organizations air ads like this? or refuse to air them?

Salon removed an anti-vax piece from its archives. That's the only think I know in regards to this subject.

It's not going to make them autistic, but it is stressful and can make them feel like shit. If an alternate schedule mitigates that where is the harm?

I'm unsure that doctors/medical professionals/communicable disease researchers say there is any harm in spreading out vaccinations. I think it's mostly done in combination for convenience (one trip versus several trips where they will be stressed out and feel shitty each time).

At any rate, "too much, too soon" is a feeling no based in any sort of evidence. I mean, what does that even mean? Too much not going to get measles?

I washed the door, taped up the trim and epoxied the holes in it. Going to attempt a swim in a bit and come back and prime, then hopefully, paint, the inside of the door. Can't do anything about the exterior until tomorrow. It's bright cerulean, but when I google it, the color is all wrong on my monitor. It matches the blue in a couple of pieces of art I have in the kitchen.

I really think I'm trying to do too much this weekend.

I love the idea of a bright door, sarameg, especially if it picks up a color from your art. Now I want to paint my back door a brighter red (it's sort of a brick red, now, and peeling and chipping and grungy looking), but I probably won't get to that for quite a while

If an alternate schedule mitigates that where is the harm?

The alternate schedule involves more shots and more doctor's visits than the CDC-approved schedule. It's not less stressful for the kid. Nor are the side effects from individual shots lessened.

The harm is that undervaccinated children are at risk for preventable diseases while their parents are pretending to be experts in immunology. The harm is children dying of measles.

[eta: In practice, parents who would like to choose the Dr Sears schedule frequently wind up foregoing certain vaccines altogether because, for example, the MMR is now only available bundled - you can't split them up because the manufacturers no longer make them that way. So parents just skip those entirely, and you wind up with situations like San Diego in 2008.]

I didn't know that about the MMR, Jessica. Thanks!

Kids who aren't vaccinated depend on other kids to be vaccinated for herd immunity. And the unvaccinated kids then spread disease to people who aren't vaccinated. It's like the Ayn Rand school of medicine.

The harm is that undervaccinated children are at risk for preventable diseases while their parents are pretending to be experts in immunology. The harm is children dying of measles.

The other harm is that kids who are vaccinated do not automatically skip the disease. So if Bethany doesn't have her vaccines and gets mumps, Noah can still get them from her, even though he has had his vaccines. (Though the likelihood is dramatically decreased and in instances where a vaccinated child does get the disease, it's often less virulent).

Spreading them out also leaves windows, and rather large gaps, for when your kid has no vaccination for a particular disease. Sears has shown no proof that his vaccine schedule is better. It's all feel-good nonsense.

In our district, starting the fall, all kids from 4th grade on need to prove that they have an updated Tdap. It's one of the only times after a kid is already enrolled that I've ever seen our district deal with whether or not a kid's vax's are up-to-date. Good on them, I say.

The alternate schedule involves more shots and more doctor's visits than the CDC-approved schedule. It's not less stressful for the kid

This is the part I've never been able to understand -- if you think there's a medical reason, I just think you're wrong, but if you think there's a trauma reason, I can't see how spreading them isn't out MORE traumatic?

I just had a successful shopping trip -- picking over the carcass of an about-to-close Border's, and getting a new office sweater at Lord & Taylor that was marked down to $30 on the tag, but I ended up getting for $12. And then I resisted buying expensive makeup just to get the gift-with-purchase, but I'm still considering it.