Kathy

Thank you for your thoughtful post on the weaning thread, and your words
about children becoming independent at their own pace.

"I also think that children don't need to 'make choices' that lead to
greater independence.  I think that independence develops naturally when
and as the child is ready.  There is no need for the child to 'choose'
independence, or for the parent to encourage or discourage it -- you can
just let it unfold and develop in its own time, and it will."

A wonderful concept, Kathy. I am beginning to examine in more detail the
word "choice" and the concept of "choosing" or making choices or decisions
when these words are used in the context of babies and children and
breastfeeding.  Has anyone else noticed that these words are *only* used
when breastfeeding is *not* going to take place at all, or continue any
longer.  If a mother is going to breastfeed, she breastfeeds, but if she is
not she "chooses" not to.  Interesting, isn't it?  In effect, "making a
choice about infant feeding" is a euphemism for bottle-feeding or
formula-feeding.

But what I really want to know is - how did this concept of "choice" evolve?
Why do we use this type of phraseology when women have not breastfed, or do
not breastfed, or are about to abandon breastfeeding?  Perhaps someone with
a better grasp of English, or semantics, or history, psychology or politics
can explain it for me??

Pamela Morrison IBCLC, Zimbabwe
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