I had both the shots and the sugar cubes for polio - don't recall any serious reactions. Both, of course, early in grade school or kindergarten,

I can complain about getting the flu from the shot - but that actually doesn't happen (except once - the Swine Flu panic shots where they trooped everybody through the line and shot us with the air gun GI-fashion using a not-ready-for-prime-time vaccine concoction). What sometimes happens is that I'll get mild versions of some of the symptoms, one at a time, over several days to a week, but not every time and not the same symptoms every time. And the flu vaccine doesn't keep me from getting it late in the season sometimes, probably after the virus has mutated a bit so the shot isn't working well any more.

I have all the other vaccinations too, or had the disease as a kid that supposedly results in lifetime immunity (or, in cases like chickenpox, lifetime infection resulting eventually in shingles, hence yet another shot). We were a little less concerned in the 1950s-60s, I think, about childhood diseases and possibly death from them ... perhaps, a touch of "if it doesn't kill you it's good for you" ... but then the shots for them weren't available yet either. I can't really agree that the disease is good for you, having had mumps twice. Survival and, if possible, avoidance of major diseases *is* good and if the shots can help with that I'm for them.