We've had this discussion before.  Yes, there are some LLL groups where some
individuals are judgemental ("What?  You don't use all organic food and
prepare all your baby food from scratch?"  "What?  You aren't a Christian
home-schooling stay-at-home-mom?").  A bad experience is more often
"generalized" to all such groups than a good experience.

People also are prone to 'demonize' a group or an individual who didn't
validate what they wanted to have validated.  So, the mothers and leaders in
the LLL group may have been perfectly nice and accepting and friendly -- and
the person who really, truly, in their heart-of-hearts didn't want to
breastfeed (or co-sleep or home-school or cook organic) will say "Whoo boy,
what a bunch of fanatics.  They were rude and judgemental to me and made me
feel like I was a terrible mother if I didn't do X."

When I moved to Texas in 1987 I joined Cathy Liles' LLL group because I was
looking for women to be my friends who shared my parenting philosophy.  I
brought along my 2 year old who was NOT nursing, and who had only nursed for
4 months.  And everyone was lovingly friendly and supportive and welcoming.

Kathy Dettwyler

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