Jennifer Tow wrote,

> If you think in
> terms of
> genetic expression, you can think of each person as having a cup. Each
> cup is
> filled to a slightly different level, dependent upon genes from both
> parents,
> life in utero, birth experience, nutrition in infancy, stresses,
> environmental factors, etc. As you move through life, you deplete or fill
> the
> cup, based upon the choices you make and even those you don't (like
> environmental hazards you may be unaware of).
>
I like this analogy. It helps me, in the same way as it does when
someone reminds me that I don't know how much healthier my allergic
daughter is because she was breastfed, but I know she was healthier.
I also like it because it shows that attitude is important in how you
view the cup along the way.
I once went to a workshop on self-esteem in which blocks were added or
taken out of a child's self-esteem jar, according to what his mother,
teacher, etc. said to him. It would be a great learning tool: an empty
"baby's health" jar, add to it some water for good genes, scoop some out
for bad genes, and keep adding, again and again, for every time he was
breastfed.
Jo-Anne

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