Shopping for baby bottles, childcare, and truth

I understand a lot of things. But I really don't get where decisive people get their confidence.

When I watch people lobby for political figures or parties, for movements, for ideologies, I watch in awe. When I see people rage at each other on Fox News, I am in a state amazement (slightly disgusted amazement, but amazement nonetheless). These people know what they believe, and they have no patience, no room for other opinions. How, for instance, can so many people be SURE George Bush is evil, when they haven't even met him personally? How, really, can I determine where I stand on any legislative issue when both sides make such a darn convincing case? But, most importantly, how in the heck can I determine which brand of bottles to buy my son?

I stood in the aisle at Target (with a slightly impatient husband, a hyper Lucy, and a sobbing six week old) musing on this very question. The first issue is that I breastfeed, so bottles have always seemed like somewhat mysterious, foreign territory. Aventi? Nuck? Dr. Brown? Cheap Target brand? They all claim the same things on the side: Reduces colic! Stimulates breastfeeding! No more gas and burping! And so, I stand, paralyzed with that familiar should-I-order-the-chicken-or-the-steak-and-the-waiter-is-in-a-hurry-and-everyone-is-waiting-on-me feeling.

Then there is choosing a preschool. This is difficult because they claim such opposite, but all good things. One claims to set my child academically apart from the crowd. The other claims to foster creativity and individuality. The other focuses on creating a global citizen, one that prizes diversity and learns many languages. Can't I have it all? Apparently the answer is "no". And thus is my problem with choosing ice-cream flavors, childcares, bottles, and political pundits. I want the good (and not the bad) of everything.

In case you're curious, I chose to order one of all three brands of bottles for Zander to see which he liked best. It turns out he doesn't care. He would prefer to drink from the tap. And as for daycare, we rejected all of the high claims of the preschools (which also ended up being sold for quite a high price) and decided to come back to the familiar daycare coop we belonged to last year. I'm betting that Lucy won't be the most global, academic, or creative kid in the world, but that she will do just fine.

Sometimes it's a roll of the dice. And sometimes you take a leap of faith.