Dirt Road Charm

Motherhood, Agriculture, and everything in between

Monday, July 20, 2015

Moms and the influence of Google

I get it!  I totally get it!  All of these years I have never understood why people believe anything and everything that they read on the internet........until now!  In the industry of Agriculture and more specifically food, I was completely mind boggled by the mis information that people believe because they read it on the internet.  I used to sit and wonder why others would believe random people with no experience growing food over someone like myself who lives and works in it everyday. Well, I can tell you now that I understand fully how this happens; desperation and the top Google answers.

It's called become a first time parent with a baby that is fussy most of the day.  You will go to Google in hopes of finding anything that might make your baby happy for longer than 5 minutes.  Over the past 3 and a 1/2 weeks I have spent many hours searching a million different baby symptoms and cures.  I have read a thousand mommy threads in hopes of finding something to make a difference.  I finally understand.

When you are experiencing a situation in your life that is either a struggle or a challenge, you seek out information to help make it easier.  When you are desperate you may just try anything and everything.  It all makes sense to me now.

Examples:  My child, if he is not eating or sleeping is fussy and crying.  He cannot just be awake and happy.  It doesn't happen.  So this mom goes to Google university for any glimpse of a chance of finding something that makes my baby happy. I now understand how people can be influenced to believe things when all evidence says it's probably not true.  It's called being desperate.

Another example:  I got a plugged milk duct.  This shit is for real.  I wasn't about to get mastitis like I've seen in cows.  Gross.  Wasn't going to happen.  So, what did I do?  I of course went to Google to find a cure.  All the professional websites said to just put a warm compress on it and strip it downward in hopes of unplugging it.  Didn't work.  I then go to a mommy thread where a woman explains that you should get on all fours and pump from the ground.  Sounds crazy but it worked!!!!  Mommy thread for the win!  No mastitis here......but to prove my point.  The suggestions from professionals didn't work and some lady that tried something crazy and it worked just saved my boob from curdled milk.  I might believe anything she tells me at this point.  Now i'm not saying that is a reason to not believe the professionals, I'm just saying that I can see how people look to other sources when things don't work.

So what is the lesson here?   I really don't know.......but what I do know is that I totally understand how people believe off the wall information when they are desperate for an answer. It definitely makes me want to keep telling my story so that if people are looking and searching for info about where their food comes from, I hope they stumble upon me in their frantic search. Or if they have a plugged milk duct.....you now all know the secret!  You can thank me later :)

And here is a random off the wall fact......This is what I look like in 80 degree weather in the evenings when i take my dog out to go potty.  We have man eating mosquitoes.  Not exaggerating.  And that is the annoyed look I keep on my face the whole time I am out there as well!


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