As I walked up to the counter I realized I had cut a girl who was on her blackberry. As I turned to apologize, I realized that I knew her. The last time we had seen each other was at a party. Both of us knew we were pregnant, but neither one of us had told anyone yet, I should have known when she passed on the wine being poured around also. She ended up having a girl and I had a boy. I asked how her daughter was doing. She said that she is doing great and sleeping through the night, in their bed.. I mentioned that Oscar still gets up at night at least once, hence the need for espresso, and that is when the mommy truth gets a little awkward. I said, well, we don't allow our boys to sleep with us. I know there are some firm co-sleeping believing people out there, but I'm not one of them. First of all, I cannot sleep when there is a baby next to me... I wish I could, but I can't, I'm afraid that I will roll over on them, that somehow they will scoot to the end of the bed with out me knowing and fall off and land on their head. Or they will wrap themselves in a sheet noose and strangle hang themselves and if that doesn't happen, maybe they will be elbowed in the temple by my husband which would cause instant death. I'm sure there are at least a dozen arguments supporting each side. I didn't explain all of that (obviously) but she then asked if I get up and nurse him when he wakes up... Now I wasn't on the debate club in high school, but I'm guessing that was her way of throwing a little opposition attack my way. I'm not nursing anymore. I stopped when he was 4 months old. Call me selfish, but I wanted my body back. It was then that there was the mommy- superior look in her eye. Getting into her car, I can only imagine that she had sympathy for my baby who was being deprived of my boob. I know she was thinking this because I had sympathy for her baby who might get rolled over in the middle of the night in her parents bed.
So who is right? I consider myself a relatively smart woman if not smart I'm certainly... healthy, and I wasn't breast-fed. In fact I was just the opposite. Formula 33 years ago didn't have DHA, I bet it was just dried milk with a formula label. And after that, my mom gave me Tang. Yes, Tang. the orange-juice like beverage that astronauts drank in space. And I turned out fine. I know for a fact that my mom didn't "wear me", and last time I checked I don't have separation issues...except when Don leaves me, just kidding.
So who or what resource can I believe? I have come to have a love/hate relationship with marketing companies.
I'm the first to want to try a new product that comes out, if it promises to give me
a. perfect skin
b. a perfect body
c. a perfect life.
So that kind of narrows it down to about every single thing that my target demographic sees. It was recently pointed out to me that October, being breast cancer awareness month, was created by a marketing genius! Now everything that has a pink ribbon on it, can be viewed as helping to find a cure, but how is a can of soda or candy or chips with a pink ribbon helping anyone? Sure a portion of the proceeds goes to research, but what portion? And the rest of the item you just bought could go to the cause of obesity, or other health complications.
Maybe I'm a little bitter about the cancer thing. I have been in meetings when cancer survivors stand up and boast that they are cancer free. That is boast-worthy don't get me wrong...early detection is to thank for that, not necessarily will to live. My grandmother had a will to live stronger than most, and she is NOT here to talk about how she "beat" cancer, because cancer beat her.
So who can we trust when it comes to doing the right thing. I nursed all four of my boys for the first 3 months of their lives...my boys are not sick often, they are bright and they are developing normally. But even 6 months ago when I had Oscar I felt the pressure to nurse him exclusively or he was going to be dumb and sick. Perhaps its just a white lie on the industries part. We all lie right? I bet nobody knows my real height. Yesterday I was 5'9 and today I'm 5'5 1/2. A week ago I was blond, today I'm brunette.
Even the smartest people can be subject to marketing fraud. Just look at the billion dollar diet industry. It still baffles me that people still believe that they can lose weight permanently by drinking a shake for breakfast, a shake for lunch and a sensible dinner, you would think after the 3rd time trying they would get it. But can you blame them? You don't need to, they already blame themselves because that is what the diet industry wants, repeat customers.
Enough of my ranting... I think I need another Starbucks, afterall, it is the best coffee out there, and that is why I need it, even if it is $4 a cup and the March 2007 Consumer report found that McDonald's coffee has the best and even cheaper coffee.....
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