I saw this post on Facebook by Pinky McKay.
And I couldn’t help but be amazed at how breastfeeding has greatly shaped my parenting beliefs and style. From the instant and “snap” culture that we have to the downright slow, persevering and hardwork it takes to express milk, I no longer believe that children need to learn independence once they are born or to know the alphabet when they turn 1. That babies and children have their own learning and growth curve, that nobody – not your doctor, not scientists or researchers who make the charts, not advertisements – can dictate what your child should be doing at a certain age or how heavy or tall your child should be. Your child is YOURS – a sum of its parents, a sum of 2 very different people, a unique being that cannot be plotted in a chart or a curve or made to fit in a mold dictated by medical practitioners from across the globe. You know your child by touching her, feeding her and loving her which all requires time – lots and lots of time starting into each others eyes, kissing her forehead a hundred times a day while she lays on your lap, cheeks pressed against your skin and taking in your smell…even if you’ve had a long day.
Yet, as your child is YOURs, you are also HERS or HIS – you bear a responsibility to your child to see to her wellness and well-being, to provide security and a safe haven, to ensure that she is getting the best of everything and that she is developing at a rate that is comfortable to her and you. You owe it to her to present her with as much opportunities for her development and growth.
From believing that the success of a man or woman is measured by the notches he/she has climbed in the corporate ladder, I measure success by how happy and content their children are.
the unnatural mother 