Legalizing Risk

We live in a risk averse society. The children in my neighbourhood are driven to school. School is two blocks away. Unless it was really cold out, I refused to drive them! I was asked "Wasn't I afraid of strangers." No, I wanted to say, "I'm afraid of your husband, your brother, I don't know what happens when I send my children to your house." The truth is that we are more at risk from the people we know than the people we don't. I know this personally as members of my family were assaulted by neighbours, who were warm, friendly, and helpful pederasts. And despite helicopter parenting, if a pederast wants a child, they can be gone in 20 seconds.

In some parts of the country, we've legislated certfied midwives. We've even created a small niche for them. In my neighbourhood, people are afraid of midwifery. They ask, "Aren't you afraid your baby will die?" "No!" I want to say, "No, I'm afraid of the downtown OB/GYN, who doesn't know about how to support normal birth, he's afraid of normal birth. He's part of a team that manages birth and vigilently watches for danger. He doesn't want you to take your time, he doesn't care if you're comfortable, he's comfortable with technology, and he's certain that under his care, his skill will save your baby." And so women don't realize that labouring through a birth and delivery is one of the most empowering experiences in your life. They discount the cascade of interventions that start because of fear. They see the disfigurement of their bodies as normal. And babies do die during normal deliveries. More die in the hospital than at home. And babies sicken frequently or die as young children, young adults and young middle-agers because those birth interventions interfere with breastfeeding, early breast-milk substitutes are given and just one bottle can lead to a lifetime of illness and early death. Fear of risk - fear of pain! It's harming us all to the point that we've lost confidence in our neighbourhoods, our bodies and traditional community resources.

Advocate or fanatic

I am a maternal child health advocate. I have worked for years to promote breastfeeding (www.LLLI.org), healthy food, and conscious mothering. I've shared research, articles, and personal experiences and despite this, people (as their free will dictates) choose artificial baby milk, junk food and tv parenting. It still amazes me when I talk about this, some of my friends and co-workers call me a fanatic. I have noticed as others have that the people who make these decisions feel no guilt. The mother who relates that the doctor told her six weeks of breastfeeding is enough does not feel guilty. The ones who truly feel guilty are mothers who haven't had the support to breastfeed and have quit before they were ready. The mothers who deepfry, put butter on everything and serve huge portions to their family (all the while insisting that everyone eat everything on their plate) do not feel guilty. They really feel that they are providing for their families. The mothers who are working and who have to do it all feel guilty to come home and make Kraft dinner because they're exhausted. The mothers who love television and see nothing wrong with their children watching four "good" programs one after another don't feel guilty. The mother who has two children and a new baby and puts on a Captain Sunshine video for the two older ones so she can have a rest feels guilty!