Katherine,

I imagine once you meet with your friend again the right words will come - our
bodies and face say much more than what our words say, anyways.  He will know
that all his friends wish him only the best.

Remember also your own studies and the observations we have had with children
raised in the extended families that are so rare in the US, but which obviously
he has.  I was raised not just by a mom and dad, but by a grandmother,
great-grandmother, grandfather, and great-aunt and great-uncle (who was deaf and
blind).  All lived nearby and it was their house that I went for lunch, after
school and "whenever", as my mom worked.  Children are adaptable and as long as
they recieve the strong love which demands nothing but your being yourself, they
grow and prosper.

Yes, breastfeeding makes things better and easier - but even those of us who are
the most fanatic Lactivists know that children can and are raised with love and
caring, with understanding and responsiveness, with physical and emotional
closeness - those are the children that prosper.  AND even children that are
breastfed - if they don't receive all this, they DON'T.

Good luck - and may your friend find peace with his children and grow with them.

Jeanette Panchula
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