Every thing old is new again

This morning, my mother and I picked strawberries at Trax Farms. This is a tradition in our family, started by my grandfather more than 20 years ago. Once summer rolls around and the farm announces the dates they'll be open for picking, we choose a date, get out clothes that can get muddy, wet and berry-stained, and head on over. Over the years, it's dwindled down to something just my mom and I do, though I look forward to taking Eddie in the next couple of years. It's a nice morning, we get to talk and you bring home great big sweet strawberries. I was thinking about how for us, picking strawberries is a treat - but just a few generations ago, it was a job, or survival. Imagine the conversation between present day me and the me who may have been born 100-150 years ago - Present Me: We like to get the whole family together, go out to the field and pick strawberries. It's a tradition. Past Me: Yes, we do that, too. Present Me: Oh? Past Me: We call it Thursday. Of course, we all know about fashion being cyclical, hemlines go up and down, "retro" is in, it's out, it's in . But I'm thinking of the other things that we've strived to improve, only to go back and find out it didn't need it. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for progress and technology. Sometimes, though, maybe things can't be improved on. Being a relatively new mom, child-rearing things are most on my mind. Take the whole formula/breast feeding debate. For as long as people have been having babies, there's been breast feeding. In the 1860's the first formula that didn't kill as many babies as it nourished was developed (by Nestle, for those who are interested), but the baby boom after WWII seems to be when it really became a hit. By the time I was born, many people believed bottle feeding was healthier. Now, in an age where science and manufacturing are leaps and bounds ahead, most sources recommend breast feeding. This is NOT intended to make any bottle-feeding mom feel bad, being one my own self, just a note. Also, baby food. Just today my grandmother told me that when her first child was a baby (don't worry, Aunt Sue, we won't say the year), baby juice came out (juice for babies, not FROM babies). If you don't have kids, take a minute to stroll down the baby food aisle next time you're in the grocery store - Turkey Dinner, Lasagna, lamb, you name it - all in baby food jars. We bought plenty of baby food, me being too lazy to cook, blend, etc., but once Eddie started picking up and eating solid foods, we've switched to "whatever we're eating". He's had General Tso's chicken, spicy indian food, spinach-cheese dip, etc. I've read articles about how this is actually coming into vogue - the "hip" thing to do is to feed your kid real food as soon as their fingers and teeth are ready. I'm glad we have a mix of baby-specific (yay Mini-Fruits) and "real" food to feed Eddie. So, what's my point? Well, I guess the point is - everything old, traditional, and time tested isn't necessarily the best, but then again, neither is everything new, shiny and "advanced". If you're saying "well, duh", next time you do something because you've always done it that way, or buy something new because it's the very latest - I hope you hear me in your head saying "Ha!"