Patricia wrote:

>  it is important to remember that ALL mother's do what they believe is the
>best for thier children.


This is a pet peeve of mine -- I'm sure you all wonder why I don't get a
life, instead of being upset about things all the time......  ;)

Not all mothers do what they believe/know is best for their children.  Some
mothers don't care, can't be bothered, etc.  Not every mother is a paragon
of virtue who puts her children's needs above her own desires/wants.
Remember the woman who partied and had sex and got drunk and passed out in
the motel room while her two little boys died of the heat in the car parked
outside the motel room?  That's an extreme example, but lots of women make
choices that they know are not best for their children -- either because
they have conflicting needs/desires, or because they don't care.  We like to
think that if we could just educated every woman about the advantages of
breastfeeding, they would all choose it over bottles and formula, but it
isn't true.  I've heard plenty of women say "I know breastfeeding is better
for the baby, but________________________".  Fill in your own reason/excuse.
My favorite of all time was "It makes my breasts too big and they get in the
way when I play tennis."

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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