Say It Loud!

I know that at some point during the course of this blog, I'm going to get in trouble for something I said (again). So, as a warning, I'm going to list a few things I feel very strongly about and you can decide whether or not to take this blog off your bookmarks list. As I've said before, I'm not judgmental because I'm certainly not about to tell others how to live their lives, but I do firmly believe in the values I'm raising my kids with (why else would I be raising them like this?) So here it is:

1) Breastfeeding--I mean, why wouldn't you??? It is free, it is easy, it is ready-made and it is SO SO SO SO SO much better for your baby. I could go on, but I'm sure I've already ticked off enough people to make my point.

2) Baby wearing--again, why wouldn't you? I get so irritated by the millions of products on the market designed so that you can actually go from dawn to dusk with little more than picking up your baby to move him/her from one plastic apparatus to another. Babies were made to cuddle, love and hold close to your heart. I, for one, can't get enough of my baby nuzzling into my neck.

3) Gentle Discipline--please, don't teach your child not to hit by hitting them. And along with that....

4) Cry-It-Out. I HATE that. HATE IT! HATE IT with a red hot raw passion that few can understand. That is a little PERSON crying in there! A person so new to this world they don't know if they can trust it or if they are safe--and you are leaving them there alone in the dark as you sit and hope against hope that they will eventually "learn" to fall asleep??? I'm sorry, but that really bugs me.

5) Buy local and watch what you buy--this is the one that tends to get me in trouble. I do NOT shop at W.al*M.art, I do NOT eat at fast food restaurants, and yes, my children know to check out the business practices of a company before they buy any toys from China. We get our food locally, we try to get most of our goods locally and we live without a lot of "comforts" that many people take for granted. And, forgive me, I think we are smarter consumers because of it. Perhaps that sounded a little too "high horse" for some, but there you have it. Again, I do not expect others to be as uptight about this as I am, but please, don't ask me to do a quick spin through the McDonald's Drive Thru while we are out together--I might explode (Cathy, are you listening??)

I know there are others and I'm bound to get on the soapbox about them at some point, but this is all I will subject you to for now. Remember, though, I'm not judging!