Wednesday, March 5, 2008

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!

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