If there is one thing I always struggled with in life it was compassion for those who weren’t fortunate enough to receive the education and life experiences that made me who I am. If someone said something I knew was factually inaccurate I was that first person going after them. As an activist I struggled with this notion time & time again. How could they not know where the money they gave to such & such company was supporting child labor in Malaysia? How could they not understand what they put into their bodies when they eat this & that? Haven’t these people opened a book? Don’t they have the internet? What are they, STUPID? 

Then I became a mother. 

I felt a compassion & sympathy like I had never felt before. I still have my fight, don’t get me wrong, but I realize that the way I was approaching such topics was wrong. It wasn’t helping anyone - it was making me frustrated with the human race & pissing off my peers. I hurt many people in my path for nothing. Since becoming a mother my focus has changed. I’m so much more interested in advocating for the rights of babies & their families. I struggle with the medical profession with a trust for them to offer what is right for my child and I hit a wall every time. Whether it’s regarding how I choose to birth my baby, vaccinations, breastfeeding, or the topic of circumcision -which is what prompted this post in particular. I love to see a strong, passionate woman fight for what she believes in. However, if you want to be an advocate for one who cannot speak for themselves I whole heartedly believe it, generally, needs to be approached with compassion and love. 

You will rarely find a mother who chooses to adhere to the advice of medical professionals with the intent on purely harming their little one. We are talking about vulnerable women who want to make the best decisions they possibly can. I belong to a variety of networking sites dedicated to raising awareness about infant circumcision. I am against it for many reasons, but that isn’t the argument here today. A story gets posted about how a mother chose to circumcise her infant and the crowd goes wild. This person is belittled, demeaned, and spoken to like a true invalid. Where is the love? Where is the sympathy? Where is the compassion? 

Sure, I struggle with the emotions of anger & disgust when I see things like this. I wonder HOW could this have happened? HOW could this mother believe what the doctors told her? Then I remember…there was a time when I didn’t know anything about this kind of thing. I would buy into what medical professionals told me because…why would they lie about my baby’s health? They took an oath to do no harm! It wasn’t until someone approached me with compassion & resources that I began to understand and so my path was moved once again. 

It’s only when we stop tearing each other down that the real issue can come to light. As I’ve realized with so many other things this is a purely systematic issue and needs to be approached as such. Take it up with the health care professionals who are pimping their lies. Calling a mom an idiot serves no other purpose but to glorify yourself for being SO SO SO smart! Go you! Sadly, you’re the only person on your team.