In His Likeness w/ AntTBri

Growing up I was privy to watching my grandmother, great aunts, and even at times my own mother feed the babies of the family table food before they had teeth, could walk, or even had the ability to ask or refuse what was being put in their mouths.  At the time I found nothing wrong with the practice I became accustomed to seeing practiced during holidays, special occasions, and during Sunday dinners. It is not uncommon in the urban culture for caregivers to feed babies collard greens and corn bread, a little fried chicken, macaroni and cheese and candied yams from time to time. I myself am guilty of giving my nieces and nephews ice cream when they turn six months of age it’s an AntTBri thing.

We all have probably given a baby whatever was being served for dinner or dessert at one time or another (in smaller, digestible portions of course). Hopefully, we’ve curtailed that practice when we learned the digestive systems of infants cannot handle the types of food we consume during the infant stages. Research suggests that initially babies don’t require or even need added nutrients, flavors outside of breast milk or formula.  It suggests that the variety of food selections be slowly introduced into their systems at the appropriate developmental times recommended by pediatricians in order to optimize the nutritional breakdown and benefit of such foods. Babies are not limited in food selections merely because of the lack of teeth, or developmental milestones. In God’s infinite wisdom He designed us to develop as we grow; given time and opportunity things will evolve. We do ourselves and others a disservice when we introduce them to flavors, consistencies, and concentrations their systems are not prepared to process. 

It’s easy to understand why we fall into the trap of feeding babies or (other people for the purpose of a broader discussion) some of what we’re having; we do so because we want to share the experience of having some good, finger licking, tap your feet, go back for more, it’s good for you, good to you throw down cooking, looking, and booking. Not many of us would do or practice this with the intent of imposing hurt or harm to a “child”. We know that it is our job to steward, oversee, and even nurture those   trusted to our care.  All of us, for the most part can honestly say I’ve done what I know to do (which subsequently almost always is replicate of what we seen as we grew up).  The issue here is not the practice in and of itself, although there are some deeper considerations that should be taken into account. The practice serves as a metaphor to how we approach, accept, and even articulate truth to our children, our family and friends, coworkers and collaborators in life.  We focus on what’s being consumed, contrived, and conceptualized most times without given thought to how it is prepared, prescribed, or presented.  All of which, may I add derive from exerted energy and effort which developmentally is impossible for an infant to process and perpetuate.

The question we must ask ourselves is:  are we helping or hindering proper development? How is giving them that little taste benefiting them?  Is it really about them or about our need and impulse to give or share what we have? Isn’t it something how this same mentality, practice filters over into other areas of our lives?  It is not just a dilemma that occurs in our infancy, it plaques our relationships, our interactions, and mannerisms privately and publicly.  Maybe that’s why we’re sick, suffering, and stopped up in our growth and maturation because we we’re improperly handled and now we improperly handle. So maybe it’s not the best idea to introduce delicate systems to the harsh realities of the “foods” our developed systems frequent. Well meaning, good intentioned, mean no harm  parents, care givers, and even siblings , leaders, teachers, and persons of influence let’s be careful of what  and how we nourish those in our care. ~AntTBri