Unsolicited? This was a post to a public forum on which the poster has requested advice on what equipment she/he should consider for his/her infant. Is this a female? I know men and women with this first name so I am not sure. But, apparently some of you either know or have concluded such.
Anyone who has ever done anything in decision making knows that among the alternatives available is the "no action" choice. Before you decide what equipment to use, you need to evaluate whether it is the best option based on your available alternatives, again one of which is to not bring the child. As for this turning into some kind of a male-female debate, the issue has no berring on sexual identity. Men and women do bring their kids into the field, we have established that in this thread. Both men and women are capable of finding a short-term or longterm baby sitter or relative. I just discussed this with one of the medical researchers on my floor and his advice regarding what equipment was....don't bring the child in that environment. Some have stated that infants are more robust than we think. 3 mo olds do not have lax thermoregulation and immunity. Also, I'm a parent too. I am also the oldest of 7 children whom I helped raise. I've seen more different ways that a kid can get injured or sick than you can shake a stick at. Wild animals, harsh weather conditions, disease vectors, and alpine slopes are bad bedfellows for a person with a n infant strapped to their back. If you MUST do it, you she/he has done the right thing by asking for advice here. However, evaluate VERY carefully whether this is your need or a desire. Would you bring an infant into a metal plant? A chemical factory? A hog barn? The habitats in a zoo? How about a sewage plant? How about the walk in freezer of a restaurant? Again, if you have no choice, be as careful as you can be. But do not discount the risk involved because if something does happen, you will live a life of regret. On Mon, Apr 9, 2012 at 12:40 PM, Lis Castillo Nelis <lne...@stanford.edu> wrote: > What I don’t understand about this thread is why people are so comfortable > giving unsolicited advice on someone else’s life decisions. Simone didn’t > ask for advice on whether or not to take her child to the field with her, she > asked for tools to do so well. She has doubtless assessed the risks and > benefits already or she wouldn't have asked for additional tools. > > Simone and other scientists with children are mature adults capable of making > their own decisions about balancing family with research. We should let them > get on with it without comments that make them feel unwelcome in our ranks. > Lack of family friendliness is one of the reasons for female attrition from > science, lets not add to it here. > > Good luck Simone! > > Lis > > > Lisa Castillo Nelis > NSF Postdoctoral Fellow > Stanford University > Gordon Laboratory > Department of Biology > Gilbert Building, Room 109 > 371 Serra Mall > Stanford, CA 94305-5020 > > Phone: 650-725-6791 > Email: lne...@stanford.edu > Home page: http://www.stanford.edu/~lnelis/ -- Malcolm L. McCallum Department of Molecular Biology and Biochemistry School of Biological Sciences University of Missouri at Kansas City Managing Editor, Herpetological Conservation and Biology "Peer pressure is designed to contain anyone with a sense of drive" - Allan Nation 1880's: "There's lots of good fish in the sea" W.S. Gilbert 1990's: Many fish stocks depleted due to overfishing, habitat loss, and pollution. 2000: Marine reserves, ecosystem restoration, and pollution reduction MAY help restore populations. 2022: Soylent Green is People! The Seven Blunders of the World (Mohandas Gandhi) Wealth w/o work Pleasure w/o conscience Knowledge w/o character Commerce w/o morality Science w/o humanity Worship w/o sacrifice Politics w/o principle Confidentiality Notice: This e-mail message, including any attachments, is for the sole use of the intended recipient(s) and may contain confidential and privileged information. Any unauthorized review, use, disclosure or distribution is prohibited. If you are not the intended recipient, please contact the sender by reply e-mail and destroy all copies of the original message.
