I love this, Jane. The idea of people as texts has been popular among literary theorists for quite some time. The thought is that when we encounter others, we read, interpret and decode them. Even though we are barely conscious of it, we are always building theories and narratives about people based on their appearance, behavior, etc. I would venture that we are hardwired to do this and that is crucial to our survival in many ways. It spurs us to help those who seem to need it, flee from those who seem to pose danger, etc. But the theories we build can be absolutely wrong if they are based on false beliefs. This happens when people perceive that certain individuals are dangerous or untrustworthy because of the color of their skin. Similarly, new parents who have grown up in a society that encourages bottles, cribs, detachment, etc., are likely to need some help reading their babies. Perhaps they need to be given a new set of interpretive tools, and I think many LCs find themselves in the perfect position to introduce these. Kerry Ose *********************************************** Archives: http://community.lsoft.com/archives/LACTNET.html Mail all commands to [log in to unmask] To temporarily stop your subscription: set lactnet nomail To start it again: set lactnet mail (or [log in to unmask]) To unsubscribe: unsubscribe lactnet or ([log in to unmask]) To reach list owners: [log in to unmask]