This post is made possible with support from the American Cancer Society.
All opinions are my own.

I have two teens. This inherently means my life is mostly chaos, and I have very little control in my world. 

And that was before 2020. Enough said.

While these two have begun to look more and more like adults, that does not mean I don’t want to wrap them up in bubble wrap and protect them like the babies they still are to me.

But I can’t.

And as they get older, the threats to them become greater, and my ability to protect them becomes less. This is why I talked with my doctor about protecting my soon-to-be adults against HPV - Human papillomavirus.

What is HPV?

HPV is a virus. 

HPV is very common. 

I would know because like over 79 million Americans, I was infected (https://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/stdfact-hpv.htm ). In fact, “HPV is so common that nearly all sexually active men and women get the virus at some point in their lives.” (https://www.cdc.gov/std/hpv/stats.htm)

I have been that statistic. 

It would have been enough for me to immunize them against the virus just to stop them from the discomfort I experienced from the virus.

But there is so much more.
SIX times more.

Being HPV-free helps you be cancer-free. The HPV vaccine protects against six types of cancer (https://bit.ly/HPVTexas)! What an amazing gift of health, and one that is so easy to give. Simply talk with your doctor about scheduling an appointment to get the vaccine, preferably between the ages of 9 - 12 (https://www.cancer.org/healthy/hpv-vaccine/hpv-texas/ask-your-childs-doctor.html).

Wait! That early, Traci?

Yes. They need the vaccine in their body well before sexual activity. That said, however, if you haven’t gotten it yet, breathe. It’s okay for children and young adults ages 13 through 26 who have not been vaccinated or who haven’t gotten all their doses. They should get the vaccine as soon as possible. Just schedule an appointment.

But what if I am not ready to talk about this with my tween?

The HPV vaccine is a cancer vaccine. Focus on that. You can save the details for another time. Besides, how often have you discussed the details of previous immunizations? Express that the vaccine is for his or her long-term health, just like any other.  

I get it. This is venturing into territory we may not be quite ready for. Nobody told us that parenting would be easy, and this is just an example. And it is an important one. A life and death one.

You can do it. You’re made of tough stuff. 

Seriously, parenting is not for wimps.