I'm thinking about this because a friend of mine is a newspaper columnist, and recently wrote her column on this very subject. And I'm angry. I'm angry because my favorite show may be delayed even longer with this stupid strike. Sure, I'm a writer, too, but my need for television outweighs any potential solidarity I might show.
I'm talking about LOST. Yes, I'll admit it - I'm addicted to LOST. I know the numbers by heart. I've cried when main characters died (RIP Mr. Eko!) and cheered when good things happened (way to go finding the van, Hurley!). And I even guessed what was going on in the season finale before it all came down at the end.
All of which is why I'm pleading with you now, Damon Lindelof. Get OFF the picket line and back to work!! I, as a work-from-home mom, spend most of my day either a) entertaining a baby; b) frantically interviewing and writing stories to bring in a little cash and c) run around frantically picking up from the baby tornado that constantly terrorizes my living room.
When my baby finally crashes at 8:30 or so every night, I collapse on the couch, hoping for just an hour of good-ole television viewing to calm my nerves (that an a glass of mommy juice - aka cabernet). THAT, my friend, is why you need to go back to work. I NEED you. I NEED my LOST fix, and it's bad enough you're not giving me that until February. But to delay it even longer may make me go all Ben on you.
And I don't have to tell you what that means. So I don't care how you settle it, just do it and give me 24 more fixes - I mean episodes - before the summer.
Ugh. Thank God for Chuck. That's all I gotta say.
Wednesday, November 7, 2007
Breast Is Best
This topic came up recently on the message board I scour daily for juicy tidbits about the babies born the same month as mine. The topic being that studies show breastfed babies grow up to have greater IQ's and be healthier than formula-fed babies.
There have been several studies that show this, so it's really not new information. But each new study stirs the pot of the breast-versus-formula debate that seems more pronounced in the US than anywhere else.
Just a few of the generalized arguments include: breastfed babies are healthy and smart. Formula-fed babies experience more illness. Women who formula feed are selfish and didn't try hard enough. Women who breastfeed are strange and flaunt their ability to do it in public.
Some of the arguments are proven by fact - studies show breastfed babies are, on average, healthier than formula-fed. They have higher IQ's. The rest is more public opinion and swayed by the general zeitgeist at the time (don't you love that word? Zeitgeist?) In the '70s, when I was born, breastfeeding was looked down upon and most pediatricians recommended formula.
I wonder if it had to do with the feminist movement - you know, taking back your body and reclaiming it for womankind and all that. The mood in this country shifted, and now it's highly encouraged to breastfeed. In fact, it's pounded into your brain pretty much from the moment you conceive. You MUST breastfeed.
And I completely understand the reasons behind it. I don't dispute the benefits, for sure. But what gets to me, as one of those overly sensitive formula-feeding moms, is the implication that I may not be doing what's best for my child, in a health and developmental sense.
I think that's why the debate - if there really is a debate - continues on. No one likes to think they are harming their child's development. We all want to have super-intelligent, healthy babies (probably to make up for our own shortcomings).
But at what cost? Do we continue to breastfeed if a child isn't thriving on it? The example used is that in nature or third-world countries, there is no other option. Sure, these babies then die. That's the problem. No one would agree to that.
What if the mom is depressed and can't handle the stress and anxiety that comes with breastfeeding (it sure isn't a piece of cake). Should she continue to force it and be miserable to the point of resenting her own child? Especially during the time when everyone tells you to enjoy it because it goes by so quickly?
I don't think there are any easy answers to these questions, and as long as there's formula around, we will continue to debate the merits of "the easy way out" versus "the best option." I guess the ultimate question is, does anyone really care once your kid starts eating real food and cow's milk?
There have been several studies that show this, so it's really not new information. But each new study stirs the pot of the breast-versus-formula debate that seems more pronounced in the US than anywhere else.
Just a few of the generalized arguments include: breastfed babies are healthy and smart. Formula-fed babies experience more illness. Women who formula feed are selfish and didn't try hard enough. Women who breastfeed are strange and flaunt their ability to do it in public.
Some of the arguments are proven by fact - studies show breastfed babies are, on average, healthier than formula-fed. They have higher IQ's. The rest is more public opinion and swayed by the general zeitgeist at the time (don't you love that word? Zeitgeist?) In the '70s, when I was born, breastfeeding was looked down upon and most pediatricians recommended formula.
I wonder if it had to do with the feminist movement - you know, taking back your body and reclaiming it for womankind and all that. The mood in this country shifted, and now it's highly encouraged to breastfeed. In fact, it's pounded into your brain pretty much from the moment you conceive. You MUST breastfeed.
And I completely understand the reasons behind it. I don't dispute the benefits, for sure. But what gets to me, as one of those overly sensitive formula-feeding moms, is the implication that I may not be doing what's best for my child, in a health and developmental sense.
I think that's why the debate - if there really is a debate - continues on. No one likes to think they are harming their child's development. We all want to have super-intelligent, healthy babies (probably to make up for our own shortcomings).
But at what cost? Do we continue to breastfeed if a child isn't thriving on it? The example used is that in nature or third-world countries, there is no other option. Sure, these babies then die. That's the problem. No one would agree to that.
What if the mom is depressed and can't handle the stress and anxiety that comes with breastfeeding (it sure isn't a piece of cake). Should she continue to force it and be miserable to the point of resenting her own child? Especially during the time when everyone tells you to enjoy it because it goes by so quickly?
I don't think there are any easy answers to these questions, and as long as there's formula around, we will continue to debate the merits of "the easy way out" versus "the best option." I guess the ultimate question is, does anyone really care once your kid starts eating real food and cow's milk?
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