Opinion: Why are we still telling kids needles don’t hurt?

Advertisement 1 This advertisement has not loaded yet, but your article continues below. Breadcrumb Trail Links HomeOpinionOp-Ed Opinion: Why are we still telling kids needles don’t hurt? Tori Etheridge: As both a chronic pain expert and parent, I know how that story typically ends: disheartened health-care providers, emotionally spent parents and a terrified child who likely won’t ever want to face another needle again. It doesn’t have to be this way Author of the article: By Tori Etheridge Published Sep 15, 2026 Last updated 30 minutes ago 3 minute read Join the conversation Families should receive clear information and practical tips for their child's pain management before appointments, with clinical teams reinforcing these approaches at the point of care, writes Tori Etheridge. PHOTO BY KYRYL GORLOV /Postmedia file photo Article content I recently went for blood work. As a health-care provider, blood draws are nothing new to me. Still, I wouldn’t say they’re my idea of a good time. Article content What I heard that day, as I entered the clinic, was both familiar and unsettling. I heard a young child screaming, panicked and in tears, being held down as their parents tried to comfort them while sympathetic but determined clinic staff worked quickly to draw blood. Article content Article content Article content “It won’t hurt,” they repeated. Article content Sunrise Start your day with a roundup of B.C.-focused news and opinion. Sign Up By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. Article content As both a chronic pain expert and parent, I unfortunately know how that story typically ends: disheartened health-care providers, emotionally spent parents and a terrified child who likely won’t ever want to face another needle again. Article content And yet, scenes like this are still treated as the status quo and simply a necessary part of delivering health care to children. Article content It doesn’t have to be this way. Article content Needle procedures, including vaccinations and blood draws, are part of many children’s earliest interactions with the health-care system. With school-entry vaccinations and influenza and RSV immunization season approaching, many children across Canada will undergo needle procedures in the coming weeks and months. These moments matter, not only because of the protection vaccines provide, but because they can shape how a…