I belong to a message board with a group of ladies that I have known for several years now. The purpose of the board is parenting issues, but we discuss all manners of life, too. Since we all came together originally on a newlywed board, we are from all walks of life and have a wide variety of parenting styles. I'm not the only crunchy-type on there, and I'm not the crunchiest on the board. But, I'm worried that some of them are finding my speaking my mind about the issues I feel passionate about, breastfeeding, natural childbirth, no "crying it out" for babies, well, annoying. It's a fiiiiiine line because I like these ladies for the most part, and I feel very close to a number of them, but say the wrong thing, and I can piss somebody--or several somebodies--off. How do you speak your mind without coming off as judgmental? I DO think breastfeeding is best! I have a lot of the medical establishment backing me up on that. I think that natural childbirth rocked; it was so liberating. I was free, not tied down by monitors and tubes, I did it, me!!! How do you describe the exhiliration of the experience to someone who's only been induced on a doctor's schedule, had the epidural, laid flat on their back the whole time, pushed out the baby in that poor position, etc. How do you explain it to someone who tells you that you don't get a medal for going natural, that the only thing that matters is a healthy baby. Answer: You don't. You might offend them. Or you can't get past their prejudice of thinking that you're cukoo bananas for going drug-free.

*sigh* Hosting playgroup Wednesday for our brand spanking-new MOMS Club...gotta do some cleaning.
- posted by Anne @ 9:13 PM