walk the line

Before becoming a parent I thought the debates over abortion, religion, politics, the death penalty, affirmative action, stem cell research, gun control and same sex marriage were heated. Ha!

Little did I know there were debates over how to feed your baby, how & where to get your baby to sleep, how to raise your baby, whether or not to vaccinate them, which way their car seats should face, how to diaper them, where & how to give birth to them, and even what to do with their penis! And these moms are Passionate about their beliefs. Yes, that was with a capital P.

I also didn’t know that I would become one of those mommies. You know, the ones that are Passionate with a capital P. As my child grows and I learn, I find that I am beginning to define myself in mommyland. Oh come on, you’ve seen the labels.

Here are mine: I’m a breastfeeding, bed-sharing, baby wearing, vaccinating, extended rear facing (ERFing), cloth diapering, attachment parent of a circumcised son born vaginally with an epidural.

And as I become more and more Passionate about some these issues, I find that every time I talk about one of them I offend someone who feels differently. Even if I try my damnedest to be compassionate, just speaking or writing about what matters to me manages to offend someone. I hate that. It is certainly not my intention to offend anyone. Not even close.

Jessica over at The Leaky B@@b shared this blog post that she found the other day. It’s called “Activism Isn’t About Being Better Than You.” And it’s not. In my opinion, the author does a fantastic job of conveying why she speaks out about the things that matter to her. She has inspired me to attempt to do the same.

I am Passionate about breastfeeding because it’s hard. And I have yet to meet a mom who has told me, “I just didn’t want to breastfeed.” I constantly hear from moms about reasons why they couldn’t breastfeed. Maybe I can help just one mom who really wants breastfeed do it successfully. You can read a little about my struggles here.

I am Passionate about you vaccinating your child because I care about all children. I believe that we need to maintain herd immunity to protect those who can’t be vaccinated. More on my views on vaccinations here.

I am Passionate about extended rear facing because it has proven to be safer time and time again. You can find my research on ERFing here.

I am Passionate about cloth diapering because I truly believe that it’s better for the environment, your pocket, and your baby’s butt. You can find my article on cloth diapering here.

I am Passionate in my belief that every woman should have the right to a birth of her choosing. While I think that drug free & home births are admirable, I also think that hospital births with drugs are admirable. You can read my birth story here.

I am Passionate in my belief that crying it out is wrong for my child. I know that it works for many children. But I am not comfortable enough with the potential long term damage that it can do to try it with my baby. More info here and here.

While my son is circumcised, I can’t really say that I have any strong beliefs regarding what you do or do not do with your child’s penis. But I know that many intactivists have very strong views on this.

Until today I frequently bit my tongue in discussions with people that I know personally regarding some of the subjects that I am Passionate about in fear of offending someone. I will do this no longer. I refuse to continue to walk the line. It’s there, and I am well aware of what side I’m on. It’s time I showed the rest of the world. That said, let me tell you the number one thing I am Passionate about.

I am Passionate about keeping an open dialogue with and supporting all parents. I am all for respectful debate but I will not stand for tomato throwing and name calling and I certainly will not participate in it.

So, what are YOU Passionate about? Don’t forget to like us on facebook!