Behave Yourselves

I read a a couple of articles the other day about a new study that shows children who are breastfed are less likely to have behavioral and psychological problems and that the longer a child is breastfed the lower the chances the mom will have to call in the psych cops.  My first reaction was, "this is taking it too far."  My daughter was breastfed for six months (although we did supplement with formula).  My son, for five weeks.  Neither one has behavioral or psychological problems (knock on wood---I am the mother of a pre-teen so who the hec knows what's around the corner!).

Glibness aside, what concerns me is that once again I feel the researchers aren't taking into account extenuating circumstances.  They reviewed (key word here), more than 100,000 interviews of parents and guardians of children between the ages of ten months and 18 years.  The interviewees were responding to the National Survey of Children's Health and were asked about their breatfeeding experience and their child's behavior and psychological health. 

We have no idea about the background of these respondents: were they blue collar or white?  Did they have the means to be able to stay at home?  Did they have to return to work for financial reasons or job security?  Did they have a big support system around them?  There are so many variables to consider.  To say that the longer you breastfeed the better your child will be behaviorally and psychologically just preys on a new mother's vulnerabilities and fails to take into account her reality. 

There are plenty of children who were and aren't breastfed.  They are growing up to be wonderful classroom and  community citizens.  New mothers already feel overwhelmed.  Let's not heap more guilt on them.