Maybe I'm REALLY not fine at all, actually.

Wow I'm shocked that so many people were offended by the article I posted here. The only thing that bothered me, honestly, was that she had some misspellings, which I can't stand.

I thought the main point she was making was that there are risks associated with certain things--that's the bottom line.

Some of these things are totally in our control and it's really a choice--so in my opinion, I think a Mom SHOULD feel somewhat guilty for knowingly choosing something that has more risks (like spanking, for instance).

But sometimes, we don't HAVE a choice. Should my parents feel guilty because I went to public school? Definitely not! They couldn't afford to send me to private school. I'm sending my kids to public school, too, because these studies don't take into account people's values, cultures, choices . . .

Should someone feel guilty for trying their hardest to breastfeed but the baby won't latch/they have undersupply/they don't have the right support? No way!

And I definitely did not get the impression from the author that she disagreed. For instance: "But, the reality is, sometimes formula is necessary. Adoption, low or no milk supply (rare but does happen), in these instances, formula becomes the lifesaver."

The fact is, no matter how loving, caring, and devoted parents are--they can't always do "the best" thing. She, herself, admits this, when she makes the argument that epidurals can interfere with nursing, cause fetal distress, respiratory problems, etc. But, she says, "If I ever give birth again, I am going to get an epidural."

So what is she REALLY saying with that statement? She's saying that it's not simple. None of this is simple. If you think about it, a country like Switzerland has lower infant and maternal mortality, and universal healthcare--so in effect, we are "putting our child at increased risk" by NOT living in Switzerland, right? Or maybe we should move to Japan so our kid would have a better chance at a long life? Or everyone should be vegan because of the risks associated with eating meat and dairy? ;)

I found the article to be informative, fact-based, and well supported--though also OBVIOUSLY one-sided, opinionated, and biased.

Why are my kids going to public school? Because the research she posted, while true, is only one side of the story. It is important to my VALUES that my kids attend public school, get vaccinated . . . and of course there are also (different) risks to attending private school and NOT getting vaccinated.

As parents, we have to weigh the risks with the benefits for every decision we make, and it's not a complex or universal process. I like this article because she DOESN'T try to water down her point--and the risks that she talks about are real, and cause real problems for real people. When we weigh the risks against the benefits, it is easy to underestimate the "weight of" the risks because we are so afraid of hurting our children.

So I agree with her that we should always try for the best case scenario--but I don't necessarily agree with her on what that is. Why? Because I'm not her, my family isn't her family, my kid isn't her kid--and these facts are only one part of the whole story. But they are a part that we should be aware of.

As the author says in the comments: "As I've mentioned many times, my own sister's milk never really came in because my dad died a few days after her baby was born. She tried many different things to bring her milk in and it never happened. She became an expert in the effects of nutrition on her daughter as a result. I never once heard her say, "it doesn't matter." She knew it mattered, and she did something about it."

And also: "For the record, I don't think everyone should be homeschooled. I don't think everyone should give birth at home, either. There are few things in life that cut and dried."