For what its worth, I can share a story of two groups of children and the difference in their behaviour. Whether attributable to breastfeeding  in particular or parenting in general, I can only guess.

 

The first group consisted of La Leche League members, their husbands and children. I had planned a treasure hunt for the children. Together they ran around the yard hunting for clues, each clue leading them to the next clue, working together until the treasure chest (buried in the sandbox) was discovered. The children waited excitedly while the older ones distributed all the treasures: toys and candy, enough for all. Everyone said how much fun it was and that it was the favorite part of the picnic.

 

It worked so beautifully I decided to repeat the Treasure Hunt for a similar group a month later. This time the guests were members of my husbands sports team, with their wives and children. 

These children attempted to solve the puzzle secretly, as indiviuals. Even after I had to explain a second time that it was a group activity with a reward for the entire group, they continued to act alone, hiding the clues from each other, or destroying them to prevent others from competing in the game. It only frustrated everyone involveduntil I finally had to tell them where the treasure was buried, reminding them there was enough for everyone equally. To my surprise, rather than sharing and distributing the treasure, the children reached into the box, grabbed as much as they could, and ran! 

 

A boy had grabbed 3 pink hairbands, was disappointed and destroyed them. A girl got two toy cars and threw them away because she was angry she didn't get a hairband. Some got handfuls of candy but no toy. The little ones, pushed out of the way, got nothing and they were crying. The mothers were unhappy about my stupid game that had the children fighting and crying. What a fiasco! 

 

Can I conclude from my non-scientific behavioural study that the breastfed children were more co-operative? Or that those who spent their early years in daycare had learned to be more aggressive?


Sheila Stubbs

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