A formula for patience

Any parent knows that choosing breast milk over formula brings manifold benefits - from money saved, to convenience when on the road, to (most importantly) the amazing mix of nutrients and germ-fighting antibodies.

But thanks to breast milk, too, Sonny is already tuning in to one of the defining trends of our times. And we don't like it one bit. We're talking about what has been called the cult of instant gratification. Patience is a rare virtue these days (if acknowledged as a virtue at all); instead, the message being hammered home by the advertising industry, credit card companies et al is that what we want, we get - and pronto.

"Relevance?", you demand, like a seasoned TV lawyer. Well, consider first how breast milk is always on tap for Sonny. Here's the progression, more or less in real time:
(1) Sonny wakes up and starts to fuss.
(2) Mum swiftly removes any impediments to feeding.
(3) Sonny gets thrust at Mum's natural milk faucet - and starts drinking.

Now suppose we were relying on milk formula instead. Unless alerted earlier, there would have been a built-in lag once we realised that Sonny was hungry: We'd have to boil water, sterilise the bottle, spoon out the powder and so on. Not rocket science, but the important thing is that Sonny would have been forced to wait. He mightn't be overjoyed - but our guess is that, with time, he would have become used to it. Instead, of course, what he's become used to is broadband-connection speeds of service. And it shows. His 'fidget and fuss' stage, which precedes his 'turn on the waterworks' stage, has been squeezed till it hardly exists.

The best move on our part may be a cruel one: To refuse to respond immediately to his requests for milk - which are issued, after all, in the only language a baby can employ. We might start with a delay of just a few minutes, then slowly drag it out further - all the while firmly assuring Sonny (the tone might come to be understood, if not the words) that food is on the way. A messy business? That was our point to start with: It would have been a lot easier had necessity (and formula milk) enforced the discipline that's required.

Still, since instant gratification seems to have sunk its first talons into Sonny's psyche, perhaps we'd best launch this remedial training at once. It'd have been better to have started earlier - but there's no point crying over spilt milk.