breastfeeding and waldorf - Page 3

[Deborah]

Thanks for clarifying that Linda. I was so attached to that particular quote that I couldn't even remember where I got it from (I should be shot for that sentence...) nor that it had nothing to do with AWSNA. And I was too lazy to go back a couple of pages and check.

I'll offer an excuse. I'm in the middle of moving.

http://www.waldorfresources.org/read...es/weaning.php
Here is the link to the article I quoted that has caused a bit of debate. No, it isn't officially published by AWSNA, WECAN or the Anthroposophical Society in America.

[LindaCl]

Hi Deborah,

Not that you need one, but that is a pretty good excuse. Apparently "moving" immediately follows "death" and "divorce" as a leading cause of stress. Diary of a move

Hope it's not too torturous, though how could it not be? I've always found moving to be Pure Awful!

You're not moving far, are you? I know your grandchildren have been so close by where you live now.

[Deborah]

I'm five minutes walk from the grandkids, which has been great, but 25 miles from work, which has been a drag, especially during the Vermont winters. My new location will be 18 miles from family and 7 miles from work. I'll even be able to ride a free bus some of the time. It basically is a service for tourists and foreign workers, so during the times of the year when neither is present, there is no bus.

This move has been less stressful than most. I've been able to drop off loads of stuff at my new apartment every time I go to work. The only problem is the gradual disappearance of all sorts of stuff. I can't always remember where things are. The word, I think, is discombobulated. How I feel, I mean.

It will all culminate next Thursday, with the real move, as opposed to the ongoing move.

[anamama]

I have only ever felt support for Bf'ing both at our Waldorf School and in my community. I still nurse my almost 2 yo in public and get nothing but smiles (and sometimes apologetic men who might walk into a room where we are nursing). And I live in Kentucky, not Cool Vermont!
I think the Christ comment is really interesting. I'm not religious much, I would identify more as a Nature worshipper. I'm not offended by the use of Christ's name while referring to bf at all, in fact, it makes sense to me, especially if I sub "The Sacred" for "the Christ". I tend not to get hung up on verbage and really focus on the message and not the delivery. I think what the author was saying is a beautiful thing.

[Deborah]

Thank you Anamama. That was lovely. I didn't even know there was a Waldorf school in Kentucky. Neat!

Vermont is varied, in terms of coolness. The long term residents tend to think a lot of us Flatlanders are silly, incompetent and faddish. And they are not entirely incorrect

[yaM yaM]

Hello again.

I would like to clarify that I did not come onto this thread to "make a good argument" as you invited me to do, Deborah, but instead just to show my agreement with mijumom's extremely well-articulated and succinct point that I'll quote again because I'm still seeing it's relevance to your responses to my pp ~

Originally Posted by mijumom

What the Bleep is that about? There have been so many conversations diminishing the role of religion in Waldorf. This kind of language is extremely provocative in the face of all the denial (not that I have an issue with it in and of itself, just the lack of clarity).

I'll mention, again, that I've had no negative experiences with regard to breastfeeding and Waldorf, personally. That is my experience which I will honestly share here, too.

The pp that I made was specifically in relation to the Christ mention. I see you reference Buddha as another example of a diety, however, like I mentioned in my pp, I have seen repeated mentions and references to Christ throughout my personal Anthroposophical studies and relationships with Waldorf through the years. . . and never a single reference to another religious diety. That is my personal experience with Waldorf education, and that is the exclusive angle from which I choose to opine. I am uninterested in compiling evidence for an objective argument in this situation. I posted on this thread simply because I think mijumom's comments are especially significant in light of the history, here and also because I agree with her: I'd have no issue with the Christ references if they were made clear. Instead, my experience with Waldorf has been such that this is an esoteric aspect of Anthroposophy. That does not sit well with me, personally.

LindaCl, thank you for sharing your comments regarding official AWSNA approval. I had no 'official' basis for the comments I shared in my pp regarding this issue - I was trying to convey what I personally observe (UNofficially) as a trend withing the global Waldorf community - that there is very much an *insider circle* whereas popularly-sanctioned written Waldorf materials are included and popularly-dismissed written Waldorf materials are vehemently excluded. I do not have formal verification for my stance on this and do not intend to gather such ~ I am simply sharing my personal experience that comes from relations with my local Waldorf community and others, and this is the strongly-consistent pattern that I have observed.

[LindaCl]

Originally Posted by May May

LindaCl, thank you for sharing your comments regarding official AWSNA approval. I had no 'official' basis for the comments I shared in my pp regarding this issue - I was trying to convey what I personally observe (UNofficially) as a trend withing the global Waldorf community

Hey, no problem; anytime.

[Deborah]

Okay May May. I have no problem with you sharing your opinion and observations. Thanks.

[yaM yaM]

Thanks for listening.

[fluttermama]

I have an anthroposophical physician who said absolutely nothing to me about my son bf'ing until age two. I did read somewhere in Waldorf literature, I wish I could remember where, that there was a concern about the mother becoming too much a part of the child if the extended bf'ing relationship continued...has anyone read that, too? It was put much better than that, but that was the general point.