The unlawful abandonment by the NICHD/NIH of its agency responsibility in the late 1970s to:

a) lawfully continue to support basic research on child abuse and neglect that violated specific directives from former DHEW Secretary Caspar Weinberger to the NICHD to accelerate its support of research on the causes and consequences of violence against children;

b) lawfully inform the Congress and the Public of the scientific breakthroughs made in the 1960s and 1970s that failed bonding in the mother-infant/child relationship leads to developmental brain disorders that mediate depression, impulse dyscontrol, drug abuse/addiction, suicide, sexual violence and homicidal violence;

c) lawfully recommend to the DHEW/DHHS, the Congress and The White House the establishment of national health policies and programs that are known to be effective in the prevention of depression, impulse dyscontrol, drug abuse/addiction, suicide, sexual violence and homicidal violence in this nation; and

d) unlawfully continue its suppression of the NICHD/NIH history of significant scientific breakthroughs in the 1960s and 1970s from the Congress and the Public and failure to act upon this acknowledge has led to the epidemics of depression, drug abuse and addiction, sexual violence and suicidal deaths of our young that is now being experienced a generation later. Suicides have doubled in the 5-14 year age group over this past generation and more children and youth (5-24 year age group) have committed suicide over these past ten years than have all American combat deaths in the ten year Vietnam War.

The NICHD/NIH/DHHS have betrayed the children and families of America by withholding vital scientific information from America’s parents of the vital necessity of developing strong affectional somatic bonds between mother and infant/child. This strong somatic intimate affectional bond between mother-infant/child is necessary for normal brain development of their infant/child and is essential for the normal development of emotional-social-sexual behaviors and the prevention of depression, impulse dyscontrol, drug abuse/addiction, massive psychiatric medications of our children and youth, sexual violence, suicidal and homicidal violence.
The most recent appeal to DHHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson (21 June 2001) to correct this historical national tragedy and to implement the necessary national health policies and programs to support mothers being nurturing mothers for the prevention of these national epidemics of depression, substance abuse and violence has been ignored, as has the Clinton-Shalala Administration and prior Administrations before it have ignored. The consequence of the continuation of these failures by the NIH/DHHS to take corrective actions will be the continuation of the epidemics of depression, drug abuse/addictions; massive psychiatric medications of our children and youth, impulse dyscontrol, sexual violence and the violence of suicidal and homicidal deaths that have become so much a part of America. This letter can be seen at: http://www.ttfuture/thompson/lt.html. A more detailed history can be found at: http://www.violence.de/prescott/report/part1.html

During pregnancy, birth and beyond, if not interfered with, nature locks the mother and baby’s biorhythms, heart frequencies, hormonal balances, sleep patterns and a thousand other living systems into reciprocal bonded patterns. The baby provides the precise stimulus for mother to open and develop new capacities, and mother does the same for her baby. Their language is non-verbal; sensation and feeling. Nature assumes this bond will develop and places baby close to the mother’s body and breast for just this reason, and for an extended period of time. Interfering with this close, intimate, skin-to-skin contact prevents a vital exchange of sensory experiences, nutrients and information required for normal and healthy brain development.
The absence of what we call bonding is neglect and abuse. Recently researchers at the McLean Hospital identified four types of permanent brain abnormalities caused by early childhood abuse and neglect. These and many other studies confirm what James W. Prescott, Ph.D., and associates discovered in the 1960′s and 1970′s; that lack of affectionate, intimate contact between mothers and infants during the most sensitive periods of brain growth may result in permanent brain abnormalities associated with juvenal and adult patterns of depression, substance abuse, eating disorders, aggression and violence.

http://ttfuture.org/services/bonding/main.htm

Very, very important information for parents out there!

My pediatrician reccomends weaning off the bottle at around 15-18 months and no more pacifier after the age of 2. My 13 month old daughter is down to two bottles a day (drinks from straw or sippy cups otherwise)and still likes her “paci” at nap and bedtime. I was told that cutting slits in the pacifier is a good way to get them uninterested in sucking on them so I plan to do that close to her second birthday. As parents, lets be honest, giving them a bottle is much easier, as is feeding them babyfood, but at a point they have to self-feed and drink from a big kid cup despite how much mess or the occasional tears it brings. They grow up so fast!

My son gave up his bottle @ 12 months old. He just put the bottle down and started drinking from a sippy cup all on his own so I say 12 months is a good time to toss the bottle as thats the same age I took my now 8 year old daughter off the bottle as well.

Both my boys went off the bottle when they turned a year old. Neither one wanted to drink whole milk from the bottle, only from a sippy cup. However my oldest had his pacifier until he turned 4. Needless to say I won’t make the same mistake with my little one on that.

My son is 21 months and still takes the bottle, I don’t see him giving it up in the near future. He’s never used a binky but he loves his bottle and I’m fine with it. I’m not worried about it in the least and people who do worry about other’s letting their children take a bottle or a binky really need worry about something a bit more important.

I believe in taking kids off bottles by 12 months or sooner. I have five kids and all were completely weaned from their bottle by then. I just makes me sick to think some of the celebrities have kept letting their toodlers run around with bottles at this age. Come on Mom’s break that tie!!

Ok I am a registered dental assistant and live in a very diverse community, rich and poor, every race, but you will find a VERY high instance of cavity’s in the hispanic community, due directly to baby bottle tooth decay. If you see children under the age of 6 missing teeth it is NOT normal most likely the teeth have been removed due to baby’s being given milk or anything other then water and put to sleep. Or if you see children with silver teeth it is due to baby bottle tooth decay, the longer your child has a bottle the more likely you will have high dental bills in the future

when Mom and Dad says it’s time.

RE:Phoebe

Very well stated!
“catch hell from the kids” How insightful. It’s true maybe the new moms actually don’t know any better and that they are truely doing their children an injustice by allowing them to rule the nest. Moms always ask info from other moms about different subjects, sometimes it’s even from a mom we don’t know who just happens to be sitting next to us at the park, dance class, Dr’s office etc.. Maybe Katie Holmes, while living this so called glamorous life is missing out on these types of mom encounters.