LizaWasHere

Have you seen the news story about the Ohio woman arrested for child endangerment, because she was driving, breast feeding, and talking on her cell phone at the same time?

Normally, I try not to be too judgmental about other moms, but I can’t seem to stop myself from making an exception here. ARE YOU KIDDING? Nursing while driving??????

Maybe I’m the freak. I usually won’t even start driving until Jill’s seatbelt is all the way fastened, much less Noah’s or Josie’s. And yeah, I also admit that I’ve made mistakes on buckling them in, so on about 2 occasions each, they’ve been driven somewhere when I thought they were buckled in, but I was wrong.

And of the two times when I discovered my error en route, I pulled over to buckle Noah in properly.

Incidentally, when I first heard this story, I assumed the driver had an infant. Who among us who is a parent can’t relate to the heartbreaking cry of an infant who is hungry and OVER being in the car seat? It is awful.

I admit to endangering myself while Jill was driving, once, about 45 minutes before the end of a ~4 hour road trip with Noah while he was 7 months old.

I climbed into the back seat and contorted myself into a crazy yoga-esque position so that I could nurse him while he remained securely locked in his car seat.

But this child wasn’t an infant. He or she was almost 2 years old. That’s old enough to be told that you have to wait, or to be offered a solid food snack.

That’s also a larger sized child, not an infant who could concievably fit into a sling while being driven somewhere. I don’t advocate that, I’m just able to envision it making nursing while driving physically possible.

That’s the other thing. Maybe I’m just uncoordinated, but I don’t think I COULD drive, talk on the cell phone, and nurse at the same time. It seems like one of those crazy tricks, like rubbing your tummy, patting your head, and blowing a bubble at the same time. Only dangerous, and dangerous to your child, not just yourself!

Apparently this mom could get up to 180 days of jail time for what she did. While I have no problem with extended nursing, and think that weaning because mommy had to go to jail would be awful for a child, I find myself hoping that she does get jail time for her reckless behavior. All those beneficial immunities in breastmilk don’t protect children from being killed in car crashes! And what would she have said if that happened? At least s/he didn’t die hungry?

Ok, I’m done ranting. For now.

EDITED TO ADD: READ MINDY’S COMMENT IN THE COMMENTS. If you know her, you already know how brilliant she is. And she is.

About half an hour before I was planning to leave for the Anti Prop 8 protest here in Atlanta, it started to rain. It was already cold (for Georgia), windy, and gray.

I decided not to take the kids.

Cold is one thing, cold and wet exponentially worse. More than exponentially. I’d already taken them out for a walk, during which Josie was mostly hysterical and clearly cold.

So I left them with Jill and went by myself. I parked in the sneaky day care/church spot that was amazingly convenient and only half occupied.
By the time I arrived, it was well underway. There were a handful of young children, a modest number of older kids and young teens, a lot of college students, and a plethora of we indisputable adult types.

The sound left a lot to be desired, and gave me a sincere appreciation for the fact that seminaries teach ministerial candidates how to preach, including enunciation, projecting and not talking over laugh or applause lines.

Having said all that, it was awesome.

There were about 1000 people there, and speakers like Kathy Kelly, Rev. Dr. Margaret Aymer, and Georgia’s only openly GLBT State Representative, Karla Drenner, got the crowd impassioned and excited to extend the fight to protect our families.

There doesn’t seem to be much media coverage yet, but my former work bud DJ Certified was on hand recording, and will doubtlessly podcast on the subject soon. Check out the crowd before my camera battery died:

I have 2 last thoughts on the nationwide protests against Prop 8.

First, I commend most of the protesters for keeping the message positive and invigorating. When we get ugly, we just make ourselves look bad.

I was appalled by the signs I saw that said things like, “Don’t drink the Kool-Aid!” On the 30th anniversary of the Jonestown Massacre, that made my stomach churn, and I only hope that none of the survivors or people who lost loved ones didn’t see those signs.

I also think we need to take care in how we express our anger and frustration with the role that religious institutions played in passing Prop 8.

There are substantial allegations that the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (aka Mormons) may have violated IRS regulations on political activity by non-profit religious organizations, and the allegations should be investigated.

But vandalizing or threatening individual Mormon temples and Mormon people is flat out wrong.

It also reflects badly on our community, and makes people more committed in their belief that we don’t deserve to be treated with full equality. We are rightfully disappointed and angry, but we need to keep this fight in the political realm.

We also need to remember that not all members of that church necessarily agree with what the institution did. I’ve been a member of dozens, probably hundreds of organizations in my lifetime, and I feel quite confident that I could find something that I disagree with in each and every one of them. Affiliation is not mindless endorsement.

If you don’t believe me, check out my second-favorite Mormon blogger, Moosh in Indy, and her post on the subject — which was written while she was visiting California and sitting in the living room of her “cousin who has been with his partner for over 10 years.”