"Water, Water Everywhere, But Not A Drop To Drink"

For the most part, I've kept the fact that I don't vaccinate or let my kids use fluoride toothpaste to myself, even though I feel so strongly about it, because some people have a tendency to react quite violently to that news.  Still, I stuck to my guns when push came to shove, and my kids have never gotten the "fluoride treatment" at the dental office, no matter how many weird looks I've gotten -- and I've been given plenty.

Although I'm not condescending or preachy about my parenting decisions (parents are hard enough on themselves -- they don't need to get flack from other parents), people are often threatened by my choices, as if they feel that I am judging them simply because I made a choice that was different from theirs.  In my mind, we all are just doing the best we can with what we have, and that's all that can be expected of anybody.  When people feel threatened, though, they sometimes close up; instead of asking why I made the choices I did, or doing some digging on their own, it's easier to just roll their eyes and call me a wacko.

Here's a good life tip, though: Anytime you need to put someone down to feel good about your own choices, that should be a big red flag that you are feeling insecure or unsure, and you should find out why.  A wise person knows that there is always more to learn, so while they gather reliable information and form an opinion/make a decision, they still leave themselves room for the possibility of being wrong, and with that possibility comes the ability to change their mind with immense freedom and abandon.

Recently, I came across this really great video that was made to raise awareness about the dangers of fluoride, especially to our children, to the greater public.  It's beautifully done, and only 20 minutes long.

Speaking up about things like fluoride and vaccinations is difficult, because the marketing to support them has been so strong for so long, and the idea that we might be doing our own children harm is so horrific, people just want to cover their ears and pretend not to hear (or accuse the whistleblowers of being crazy, conspiracy theorists!),but the tide is finally beginning to turn.  As the real science becomes available to the masses on social media, more people are joining the whistleblowers, and it's harder to ignore that the group opposed to these products are no longer a "fringe" group of our society.

My children have had a couple of cavities, it's true.  Then again, I had more than they did as a child, and I used fluoride toothpaste then.  I do have two friends with children who have fluorosis, though.  I remember when my one friend confided in me; she was furious, and well she should be.  Like a good mother, she did what the dentist said and let them give her child fluoride treatments and used fluoride toothpaste, only to be met with a shrug when the same people who told her that fluoride was good for her child told her that her child's teeth would forever be marked by the same substance.

Her anger is justified, and directed at the proper target.  It's so interesting, though, that there are so many who would rather ignore the science and pretend that fluorosis (and worse!) is better than cavities, than to admit that they might be wrong, or that what they were told was wrong, when there are countless examples throughout history of the public being assured something was safe  (even good for them!), only to find out later that they were lied to (DDT, cocaine, partially hydrogenated oil, lead, etc.).

Anyway, the thing is, I want fluoride taken out of our water, and the more people that understand why, the better the chances of it happening.  Open your mind; take the 20 minutes.  If you still decide that fluoride's your best bet for your child, I won't call you names or be angry with you, I promise.