EC and Compassion

[Guest guest]

>

>I doubt that the majority of the moms in the world does it though.

>

Actually, it is not practical for a good percentage of moms in the world to

use diapers. My brother-in-law is from the Dominican Republic and I have

many friends from different 'third world' countries. Depending on the

amount of money they have and if they are in the city or country diapers

(disposable or cloth) may not be affordable or available. I've found

during the non-winter months going diaperless is much easier and

convenient. Around the house even during the winter he is diaperless 95%

of the time. I use cloth diapers, but it means I don't have to wash them

as often, but this is not the reason Parker is diaperless...he wants to be

diaperless and has communicated his dislike of being diapered at a very

early age. I think everyone is an individual and people parent the way

their heart tells them and they listen to their own children. Thus, no one

particular type or aspect of parenting is for everyone.

 

I think those of us who live in a western culture forget that we have a lot

of conveniences that other people do not have and sometimes our

conveniences are really something created to make other people money.

There are lots of things sold on the market today that really do not make

our lives easier. When I was visiting in the DR (Dominican Republic) is

certainly seemed very easy and convenient for the mothers to work or

socialize with a waist down naked baby on their lap. They wouldn't even

miss a beat of the work or conversation and they seemed to be completely in

tune with their babies and would just hold them off to the side or out the

window (no glass of course) so they could urinate. I was not a mother at

the time and in my early twenties and probably thought they were very weird

and never imagined I would some day have a child who urinated on the grass

as much as in a diaper. :-)

 

My friends who actually practiced Elimination Communication or Infant Potty

Training did end up having children who used a toilet on a regular basis on

their own before two. Most of the children I've know have disliked diapers

and being changed, but like I said before everyone is an individual. I have

seen one person try EC and she seemed to be stressed out and her child also

seemed stressed so I would say it did not look like a positive thing for

them to do. Again I feel like she probably wasn't parenting with her heart

and should have just gone back to diapers.

 

I'm not trying to sell anyone on anything, but I would personally stay away

from calling any practice 'weird'. I'm sure you meant no harm and I didn't

take it negatively, but I think part of being vegan for me is to be

compassionate of others' choices and be open to hear about them. Which I'm

sure you are too. I just know my mother used to say a lot of things were

'weird' and I picked up on this and would have an aversion to anything she

said was 'weird'. As a young child I didn't realize sometimes she used the

word 'weird' to mean interesting in a positive way as well as using it

because she was negative or scared of certain behavior. She sometimes

would change her thinking and be accepting of a practice she had said was

'weird', but I didn't realize this until I was an adult. It made me not

very accepting as a teenager. Just my two cents...please do not stop

posting things are weird on my account. :-) Everyone should feel free to

express themselves as they see fit.

 

In regard to the flouride posts, I would assume that everyone on this list

will do what they feel is best for their children and will educate

themselves on the different sides of each issue. Parenting and health are

very 'hot' emotional topics, but it would be nice if we could be a little

gentler in our responses.

 

I know a lot of these posts are considered off topic, but parenting is life

and thus I believe nothing is really off topic. Especially, as veg*n

parents (or parents of veg*n children) what ties us together is compassion.

Even if we are veg*n for health reasons that is compassion to our own

bodies. Part of being compassionate is (in my opinion) not trying to force

our views on anyone else (even meat eaters) and not judging others for the

choices they make/have made. At the same time we all have life experience

to share and coming in contact with others who view things differently can

only enrich our own lives (even if we think they are weird).

 

Peace and compassion to all beings,

 

Linda

 

PS I appreciate this list very much and I love learning something from all

of you. I wish you all lived in my neighborhood. :-)

[Guest guest]

Dear Linda,

thanks a lot for your very appropriate message.

 

My 0.02 $ : I travel a lot and in third-world countries it is highly

inconvenient to use diapers even if you can afford them. Local mamas

do not seem to have any problem with it. As a western mama I started

using disposable diapers, however, at a couple of months I started to

bring my child to the toilet. She was completely out of diapers at 6

mos of age.

 

Daniela