Chickenpox Parties (Page 2): Actually quite true. We did that in our neighborhood. By the way, it was recommended by the Pediatricians.

kerry12 Loc: Harrisburg, Pa.

jerryc41 wrote:

A guy on YouTube was talking about "the good old days." He said that when a kid in the neighborhood got chickenpox, they would invite all the kids in the neighborhood to a party so they would all get it and get it out of the way. That sounds literally unbelievable.

Actually quite true. We did that in our neighborhood. By the way, it was recommended by the Pediatricians.

Canisdirus

I went to 45 chickenpox parties...
Mom said it was for my own good...
She always smelled of alcohol and cigarettes picking me up though.

marine73 Loc: Modesto California

I got the chicken pox in my 40's and the worse thing about it for me was be quarantined at home and not being able to go to work for ten days or so. I don't recall any itching or anything else that you normally hear about.

Amielee Loc: Eastern Washington State

I am 87 and had all of the usual childhood diseases in the first and second grades. I really don't remember measles, mumps, and all I remember of chicken pox is my mother saying stop scratching that pox. Now whooping cough is different, I remember every single day of that. Thanks to vaccines the kids today don't have to live through that. I also remember the yellow quarantine tape that public health put across out front door when I had those diseases.

rlc1948 Loc: Yuma AZ

Me too. I’m 73 now and still up right. The Marines didn’t kill me an 35 years at the power company didn’t either
Semper Fi

ad8rr Loc: Jackson, Michigan

Parties were very much the norm in our little Central Ohio community whenever a kid came down with measles mumps or chickenpox. "Get it and get over it" was the prevailing mindset. Once you survived the uncomfortable symptoms life was good and you had natural immunity from reinfection. Nobody died, nobody went blind, nobody developed encephalitis. People today look at this practice with incredulity and sometimes revulsion, but it was a different world then. And for the most part, a much better world.

chikid68 Loc: Tennesse USA

St.Mary's wrote:

Couple of years ago I got a case of shingles (both... (show quote)

This seems to be the popular way to say that vaccines don't prevent illness.

Tex-s

jerryc41 wrote:

A guy on YouTube was talking about "the good old days." He said that when a kid in the neighborhood got chickenpox, they would invite all the kids in the neighborhood to a party so they would all get it and get it out of the way. That sounds literally unbelievable.

My mother attained her chicken pox immunity, along with all three of her siblings, when her father, a fully credentialed medical doctor, took them to get it when a cousin had it. No ‘party’ monicker, but the conventional wisdom is the same for tonsillectomy and chicken pox. The earlier the issue, the less the complication and duration.

JFCoupe Loc: Kent, Washington

In the early 1950's my two sisters and I all had the measles and then chicken pox or vice versa in rapid sequence. I recall lining up several times a day to have pink calamine lotion applied to all the itchy spots.

Xmsmn Loc: Minnesota

Sorta sad but true in my neighborhood in the 50’s.
Mark

IsoBob Loc: Hamilton, NJ

markngolf wrote:

I had "Chicken Pops", Mumps, Measles and Scarlett Fever. Unfortunately, no parties, but lots of "good old days".
Mark

I had the measles and I was kept in a dark room, Scarlet Fever notice put on front door contagious. Those sure were the days. Oh, I forgot one, had tonsils removed. Not bad for a 95yr old and still kickin!
Bob

chikid68 Loc: Tennesse USA

markngolf wrote:

I had "Chicken Pops", Mumps, Measles and Scarlett Fever. Unfortunately, no parties, but lots of "good old days".
Mark

Chicken pops
I made this for dinner tonight

(Download)

Laramie Loc: Tempe

I don't remember any parties, but I had Chicken pox, mumps, measles and spinal menengitis, though I think I was the only one that got the last.

john451 Loc: Lady's Island, SC/Columbia, SC

Had mumps at 28. Ran 104 fever and spent a week in the hospital. Doctor said "Go home and resume light exercise". Apparently bowling is not light exercise. First game started with 5 straight strikes and I'm thinking "Wow, mumps are great". Went directly from the bowling alley back to the hospital for another week. Did not pass Go.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

jerryc41 wrote:

A guy on YouTube was talking about "the good old days." He said that when a kid in the neighborhood got chickenpox, they would invite all the kids in the neighborhood to a party so they would all get it and get it out of the way. That sounds literally unbelievable.

They were popular because chickenpox rarely caused severe illness in children, but if infected as an older child or adult would be more likely to cause infections in other organs than the skin - pneumonia, encephalitis, etc. Chickenpox is very contagious - if a kid with chickenpox was seen in the office that exam room would not be used the rest of the day. Pregnant women with no clear history of chickenpox were advised to stay away from people with chickenpox.

It was a very rare child who did not get chickenpox - and almost any older adult who thinks they never had chickenpox just had a mild form that was not recognized. I have had many adults swear to me that they could not have possibly had chickenpox - and yet they raised three kids, all of whom had chickenpox when little. It would be impossible to take care of a kid with chickenpox and not get it yourself unless you were immune.