J, I'm sorry to hear your children get sick so much. That must be distressing for you and them. (I misunderstood you when you said your children never go to the doctor, taking it to mean they never get sick. I now figure you mean you or your wife diagnose their illnesses and they only go to the doctor when it's required.)
You are protected against measles, mumps and chicken pox according to what you said in an earlier post, because you've already had those illnesses.
Now your children have had chicken pox and whooping cough so hopefully won't get them again. They could still get and retransmit to others measles, mumps and other diseases (even polio) if there is an outbreak or if they come into contact with any one individual who has one of these illnesses and is in the infectious stage. (Eg did your infected child infect someone else with whooping cough or chicken pox? Not that you'd necessarily know if they did.)
I agree we can't and shouldn't try to protect our children against every single mishap or misfortune. As you imply, it's your choice what things you protect them from. In this case it's a choice for the broader community as well as your children.
PS According to the Victorian Dept of Health, Whooping cough - Better Health Channel Whooping cough (pertussis) is a serious, contagious respiratory infection caused by the bacterium Bordetella pertussis. It is particularly serious in young children. One in every 200 babies who contract the infection will die. Whooping cough can be prevented by immunisation.
