The purpose of writing this isn’t to shame parents who are vaccine hesitant or vaccine resistant or even to convince you with data. The purpose isn't to make anyone feel like they don't love their children enough or somehow aren't smart enough to be parents. Or, honestly, to make you think that I think those things. The point of writing this is to speak to the parents who are frustrated and frightened by the declining immunisation rates in places like Vashon Island in Washington State, who are worried when they see a notice come home that there’s been an outbreak of a vaccine-preventable disease in their child’s school. It’s scary for parents whose children are potentially exposed and school exclusions, while effective, can cause frustration in affected communities.