As the reports about bpa in our children’s bottles came to light, I added it to the long list of things to stress over as a parent. It is clear we have become a fear driven society. All you need to do is turn on the 10 o’clock news to learn what you didn’t know is sitting right under your nose that could kill you. And in a way, parenting has become the same.
If it isn’t already stressful enough getting through the day with small kids; it has become even more fear driven. I find myself second guessing *everything* I do. . . .
....Do my children’s toys contain lead?
... Should I be vaccinating?
... Is tap water safe?
... Is the car seat installed correctly?
... Is it okay to give my child peanut butter before the age of 3?
... Should my children only eat organic food?
... Are household cleaners safe?
... Should we have stored our children’s cord blood in case of illness later in life?
... Is it safe to use a bumper in the crib?
... Is it okay to let my baby sleep on her tummy?
... Does watching TV lead to ADHD or autism?
It is hard to weed through and/or remember all the wonderful nuggets of “advice” you hear. You can give your child milk, but not too much. Juice is okay, but be sure it isn’t too high in sugar and don’t forget to water it down. Vaccinations are healthy but do a delayed schedule and never do more then two at a time. . . .
And if that weren’t enough to make over-analyzing parents’ head spin, studies have come out saying that “breast fed babies are smarter then bottle fed”. Ouch. Such horrible, harsh words for those mothers who couldn’t nurse for whatever reason. If one were to believe such things, Annika will be much smarter than Bergen given that she has nursed about 9 months longer then he ever did.
As the idea of fear-driven parenting remained close to mind, I found myself reading an article in baby talk (a free magazine I picked up at babies R Us) titled SUMMER SAFETY GUIDE. It warns parents of hot sand that can burn your children’s feet, jagged shells that can cut your child’s hand when on a seashell hunt, bees and mosquitoes that can sting your child, sandboxes that can contain harmful bacteria. . . and of course don’t forget dehydration! After reading that article it makes me think it might be best to just wrap up the kids in bubble wrap and have them enjoy the outdoors from the windows. Sigh…
1 comment:
Oh my goodness Maren, I feel EXACTLY the same way. I feel like parenting has become a lot more stressful, in certain ways, than our parents had to deal with. And I think those certain ways have to deal massively with the media. So much more information is available that wasn't before, or so my mom says.
And I feel like I totally suck up those media scare tactics before I thoroughly do the research on my own. But I think our mothering instinct kicks in and we're going to protect at all costs-that's our job.
I found this website to be informational, maybe it would be for you too. Of course not the official source for all info, a helpful source to sort out all of the reports, etc.
http://baby411.typepad.com/
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