Young Kiwis, aged 12 to 15-years-old, became eligible to receive the Covid-19 vaccine on August 20. Photo / Getty
We're in a whirlwind of information and urgency as the Government aims to vaccinate more than 90 per cent of Kiwis against Covid-19, so the country can move away from measures such as lockdowns.
Young teens were thrust into the race to get vaccinated on August 20 when the Government announced Medsafe's approval of the Pfizer/BioNTech Covid-19 for people aged 12 to 15.
Miriam Centre counselling centre director Patsy Henderson-Watt said she's been blown away by the clarity youth showed about getting their jabs.
"A number of the young people I work with have really surprised me with how straightforward they've been about it, like it's common sense and no big deal."
But Henderson-Watt said there were a few instances where families had clashed over whether or not to be vaccinated.
To help avoid a family divide, Henderson-Watt and her colleague - senior child and family therapist Debbie Blain - provide tips for families on how to talk about the Covid-19 vaccine.
1. Get the facts
Henderson-Watt said it was easy for parents to insist on their beliefs without giving the same respect to their children.
She said a young girl in the Far North had responded to news a person was fully vaccinated by saying, "oh, you shouldn't be, Miss. You should talk to my father. Do you know, now you've got poison in you."
"I was amazed by that," Henderson-Watt said.
She believed the young girl had missed out on vital and factual discussions.
"It's so respectful to young people to have those healthy conversations of, here are the scientific facts, what do you reckon," she said.
"Even the kids who stay quiet, their brains take away the ideas and they think about it."
Henderson-Watt said presenting young people with real information helped nurture their thought processes.
"Then it's about respecting what decision they make."
Blain said it was up to adults to help young people access accurate information.
"We know kids can research anything - especially online. But they need help to know not to believe everything they read."
"We need to ensure they have the correct information. It's up to us, schools, and our communities," she said.
2. Listen
Blain said her experience had shown her cases of kids having been vaccinated but not their parents because the young people were "more sensible" about the pandemic response.
"I'm really impressed with our young people. They're being incredibly sensible and responsible with vaccinations."
Henderson-Watt said this was because kids were concerned about the world and their futures.
"Intelligent young kids are thinking it through for themselves and they're concerned about the future of their country. To me, that's hopeful and we older people should be following their lead."
She said young people were unheeded in a lot of families.
"But our young people are so sensible and uncluttered in their minds so we should be having all these really good discussions they're great at having, and we need to make sure we're listening."
3. Be brave
Henderson-Watt acknowledged sharing different points of view, especially in the age of social media, wasn't easy.
She knew of parents in their 60s, who'd sneaked off to be vaccinated without telling their adult anti-vax children.
"They're the parents - they should be able to tell their kids, 'This what we think'."
Henderson-Watt said families needed to provide an environment where it was safe to talk about the hard stuff.
"The message we want to get out there, especially to young people, is be brave - you've got wonderful and important things to say - you just have to keep speaking out."