so Mary, climb in...
May. 3rd, 2005 12:37 pmBleh. I woke up sometime around 3 a.m. by the sound of water running--or rather, water spilling. It turns out one of my cats had knocked the fish bowl (which had been on top of my computer desk) over. Onto my keyboard, mind you. There was water everywhere, and I couldn't find the fish. I finally found him on the floor, gasping but miraculously still alive. I plopped him back into the bowl, which I'd half-filled with water. He's fine today, but my keyboard, alas, is no more. I now have a new one ($14.99 at Staples; I'm all about teh fancy).
patchfire has mentioned Babywise before, and today I decided to do some research on it. What I found was really, really scary. Apparently babies have been hospitalised using this method, which encourages rigid feeding/sleeping schedules and letting a baby "cry it out" and basically ignoring their needs. Here's an article about it, which shows how nuts these people really are. Here's an example, from the article:
"I have no intention of raising an out-of-control child, " says Franklin Stout, a 32-year-old father of two who is implementing "Babywise" methods with his young children. "My wife and I like having a guide to help us know how to respond to our sons' different behaviors. We believe that firm discipline in the first year or two will save us all a lot of grief later."
WTF? Discipline in the first year? Crazy stuff. And apparently these people claim that breastfeeding a baby too frequently decreases milk production (it doesnt--the more you nurse, the more milk you make.). The guy who wrote this book is either completely delusional or taking some really strange pills. The attitude seems to be that feeding on demand/giving in to your child's needs will spoil them for life. It sounds more like a recipe for autism to me. The babies DO become quieter, because they give up. According to this article, even the Christian Fundamentalists don't like these people. I feel like going out to all the bookstores and putting "THIS BOOK IS DANGEROUS" signs in all the copies. Eesh.
I'm staying home from work tonight, partly because I feel sort of yukky today, and partly because I can.
Also? You really haven't lived until you've seen this. It's a video, so it may download slowly, but it's worth it. Use the fullscreen feature, d00ds. Bruce/Melissa is so my musical OTP.
ETA:
patchfire tells me that people actuall DO put bookmarks in the Babywise books about how dangerous the method is. I want some!
"I have no intention of raising an out-of-control child, " says Franklin Stout, a 32-year-old father of two who is implementing "Babywise" methods with his young children. "My wife and I like having a guide to help us know how to respond to our sons' different behaviors. We believe that firm discipline in the first year or two will save us all a lot of grief later."
WTF? Discipline in the first year? Crazy stuff. And apparently these people claim that breastfeeding a baby too frequently decreases milk production (it doesnt--the more you nurse, the more milk you make.). The guy who wrote this book is either completely delusional or taking some really strange pills. The attitude seems to be that feeding on demand/giving in to your child's needs will spoil them for life. It sounds more like a recipe for autism to me. The babies DO become quieter, because they give up. According to this article, even the Christian Fundamentalists don't like these people. I feel like going out to all the bookstores and putting "THIS BOOK IS DANGEROUS" signs in all the copies. Eesh.
I'm staying home from work tonight, partly because I feel sort of yukky today, and partly because I can.
Also? You really haven't lived until you've seen this. It's a video, so it may download slowly, but it's worth it. Use the fullscreen feature, d00ds. Bruce/Melissa is so my musical OTP.
ETA:
(no subject)
Date: 2005-05-03 06:34 pm (UTC)Our kids are "fat and lazy"! The only solution is to go the other way and PUNISH THEM, PURITAN-STYLE!
Gotta love it...
(no subject)
Date: 2005-05-03 09:55 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-05-03 08:05 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-05-03 09:32 pm (UTC)(no subject)
Date: 2005-05-03 10:43 pm (UTC)It's horribly manipulative and makes people (who usually are just looking for solid advice) feel guilty, and stupid and wrong. Arghh, they drive me crazy!
*joins you in book marking books *