Let’s get the obligatory disclaimers out of the way: I fully support a family’s right to feed their baby in whatever way works best for them. Formula is not an enemy. And for women who desire to breastfeed we need to do everything in our power to help them succeed. We should be bulldozing the hurdles and sewing up the loopholes.
My Rhiyaya Facebook page got hidden or unliked by a few people yesterday morning. Was the it Ruth Bader Ginsburg onesie? The rainbow babylegs? The fact that the photo was clearly taken in a daycare center where I abandon my child on the regular? It’s not my intention to have a political blog, but where politics intersects with my life? Yeah, I’m writing that shit.
I wrote this as part of a series of essays to my daughter. First published on election day, 2012. Re-posting with only minor edits.
I am one of the lucky ones. Privileged. I’m reminded of this as I begin a post in which I am going to lament, bitch, whine, and rant about the lack of adequate paid family leave in this country.
Dear YaiYai,
This is your first presidential election. You probably aren’t old enough to remember anything about it, though you do know how to say “Obama.” But then again, you also seem to think going to vote has something to do with going on a boat.