“Now I understand that for many parents, especially where education levels are low and daily life so tough and frazzled, the notion of a book to record details of the infant’s every sleep seems indulgent and precious. And we’ve all read about methamphetamine-fuelled households filled with multiple ‘lifestyle beneficiaries’ whose only success is to fail to supply the necessities of life to those tiny babies unfortunate enough to live with them. Obviously sterilising bottles and correctly preparing formula would be beyond many of these people - as would the art of muslin-wrapping. So it’s quite understandable that official guidelines should serve as a safety net for the offspring of our most disenfranchised parents, and as an ethical society we wouldn’t want it any other way.
But those of us who don’t fit these categories should have the courage to question some of this one-size-fits-all advice. Our household was calm, orderly and had no less than three intelligent, doting adults to care for one small baby. My husband and I had the inclination and the resources to seek one-on-one professional advice about caring for our baby. We did not feel the need to indiscriminately subscribe to guidelines designed to be accessible to those in even the most unfortunate circumstances. And for other new parents, who perhaps have more in common with us than those at opposite end of the socio-economic spectrum, it may be worth considering the derivation and underlying intent of some of this official advice before blindly following it. All families are not created equal.”
-
But those of us who don’t fit these categories should have the courage to question some of this one-size-fits-all advice. Our household was calm, orderly and had no less than three intelligent, doting adults to care for one small baby. My husband and I had the inclination and the resources to seek one-on-one professional advice about caring for our baby. We did not feel the need to indiscriminately subscribe to guidelines designed to be accessible to those in even the most unfortunate circumstances. And for other new parents, who perhaps have more in common with us than those at opposite end of the socio-economic spectrum, it may be worth considering the derivation and underlying intent of some of this official advice before blindly following it. All families are not created equal.”
-
Shelley Bridgeman: Not all families are equal - Life & Style - NZ Herald News
