My son Alexander recently had to go to the doctor to get his measles vaccination. He was technically supposed to receive it when he turned four, but his family doctor approved giving it to him now due to the epidemic of measles cases, especially here in our home state of South Carolina. We strongly believe in vaccines, and the doctor and I even shared our frustrations about Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and what we see as his dangerous rhetoric.

Alexander cried when he got the shot, which was expected, so I took him to the mall right afterward so he could play on the playground. His main reward was getting a new toy from the toy store, which he got to pick out himself. He chose this Tyrannosaurus Rex.