Sharon R wrote:

> Here's my question.  Did anyone write to Oprah when this show aired
> with
> the facts?  I would think if she had gotten lots of negative feedback
> on
> this, she would not have run it again, especially without a
> disclaimer.

Yes, I wrote to her in April (see text below) and never received a
response from her staff.  I, too, was disappointed to see that clip
repeated, although the show on multiples had some postive breastfeeding
remarks.

Kathy
Great Mills, MD
[log in to unmask]

Dear Oprah,

I was so disappointed in the April 2nd, 1997 Oprah Winfrey Show, titled
"Should Your Child Still Be Doing  That?".  As a long-time viewer, I
have found you to be a champion of children and families.  I have also
noticed that you hold great regard for parenthood and often acknowledge
it as the important and difficult job it is.  I expected more from you!

The parents you featured in the segments appeared to be so negative
towards their children.  How sad!  While those parents seemed ready for
their children to "move on", there are plenty of parents who are content
to allow their children to move at their own pace.

The show would have had more balance had there also been a mother who
was happy to practice child-led weaning, a family who was comfortable
with the family bed (or co-sleeping) or parents who were not focused on
toilet-training a 2 year-old solely for the purpose of preschool
enrollment.  There are many families who practice attachment parenting
who would have been glad to present another viewpoint.  Weaning and
sleeping issues rarely are "all or nothing".  There are wide ranges of
normal as Dr. Weissbluth pointed out on the show.

It saddens me to see your otherwise excellent show produce a biased,
one-sided view of extended breastfeeding and co-sleeping.  Portraying
the negative side of parenting certainly will generate more ratings, but
I know that you redesigned your show to show uplifting and positive
subjects (your immensely popular book group comes to mind) rather than
topics that are sensationalistic in nature.

Perhaps you would consider doing an entire show on attachment parenting,
including breastfeeding on-cue, child-led weaning, the family bed,
baby-wearing and loving guidance.  Dr. William Sears, and his wife
Martha, have written several excellent books on this subject, including
Nighttime Parenting, Fussy Baby, and The Baby Book.  They would be
superb guest experts for your show.

Sincerely,
Kathy Koch