Hi everyone!  I'm back from speaking at a breastfeeding conference in
Winnipeg.  I just want to publically thank the organizers, Shirley Phillips
and Pat Martens, for organizing a WONDERFUL conference.  The meeting rooms
were great, the AV equipment all worked, all the speakers began and ended
right on time (a major feat), even the food was excellent.  Intersting
themes emerged from the conference speakers' presentation, even though we
didn't coordinate them in advance, including: be skeptical of research and
always read critically, and don't be prescriptive to mothers.

I managed to shake a few people up with my presentation on "A Time to Wean"
which is always a good thing, and to lend support to women who are
themselves nursing children well beyond toddlerhood, or who support other
women who are.

One of the attendees, Rhoda Taylor, had what I thought was a brilliant
suggestion -- she pointed out that it was difficult for mothers of young
children who are nursing them long-term to speak out about it, for fear of
censure or even of having their children taken away from them by overzealous
social workers, but that those whose children are now grown up and who have
turned out just fine, have nothing to lose (no one's going to "take away"
their 25 year old) and should be more vocal about telling people that this
child is the result of attachment parenting, including nursing past
toddlerhood, co-sleeping, etc.  So I challenge all those of you who have
grown children to be more outspoken about it!

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Katherine A. Dettwyler, Ph.D.                         email: [log in to unmask]
Anthropology Department                               phone: (409) 845-5256
Texas A&M University                                    fax: (409) 845-4070
College Station, TX  77843-4352