--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The fact that responding to a child’s…" description: "\"“The fact that responding to a child’s needs by giving her the breast was normal for 99.9% of humans’ existence, and ensured our survival as a species,..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/505/gabrielle-palmer-891_children_the-fact-that-responding-to-a-child-s-ne_171479.jpg" --- # The fact that responding to a child’s needs by giving her… ![“The fact that responding to a child’s needs by giving her the breast was normal for 99.9% of humans’ existence, and ensured our survival as a species, makes current standards of ‘normality’ questionable.” quote by Gabrielle Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/505/gabrielle-palmer-891_children_the-fact-that-responding-to-a-child-s-ne_171479.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/505/gabrielle-palmer-891_children_the-fact-that-responding-to-a-child-s-ne_171479.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/505/gabrielle-palmer-891_children_the-fact-that-responding-to-a-child-s-ne_171479.jpg) > ““The fact that responding to a child’s needs by giving her the breast was normal for 99.9% of humans’ existence, and ensured our survival as a species, makes current standards of ‘normality’ questionable.”” [Gabrielle Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-palmer/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Historical breastfeeding norms challenge modern ideas of normality, showing that what we deem typical is culturally contingent. **In simple terms:** Past norms question today’s standards. Key Takeaway Re‑evaluate assumptions of normal. Themes biology culture history Mood reflective thoughtful Type critical inspirational When to use this quote - parenting advice - public health policy - education curricula - media representation Key Concepts evolutionary biology social norms Questions to Reflect On - What defines “normal” today? - How do cultural shifts reshape health norms? A Different Perspective Biological facts may be misused to justify social judgments. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Children](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/children/) [Life](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/life/) [Normality](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/normality/) ## Related quotes > ["Natural" is a very dangerous word to use about sexuality ... Our society's notions of normality are completely fake and meta-trendy, since they rely…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/susie-bright/natural-is-a-very-dangerous-word-to-use-about-sexuality-our-society-s/) [Susie Bright](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/susie-bright/) > [“Any judgment born of collective agreement is, by nature, arbitrary, no matter how widely it is accepted.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sov8840/any-judgment-born-of-collective-agreement-is-by-nature-arbitrary-no/) Sov8840 > [There is no normality in life. 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You're on the edge of normality.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/john-updike/being-a-famous-writer-is-a-little-like-being-a-tall-dwarf-you-re-on/) [John Updike](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/john-updike/) > [Are you suggesting I’m not normal? (Nykyrian) Oh yeah, baby, you ooze normality. From the top of that assassin’s braid to the tip of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sherrilyn-kenyon/are-you-suggesting-i-m-not-normal-nykyrian-oh-yeah-baby-you-ooze/) [Sherrilyn Kenyon](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sherrilyn-kenyon/) > [The red carpet is kind of a surreal experience. There's nothing normal about it, so for me the most important thing is to maintain…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/samantha-barks/the-red-carpet-is-kind-of-a-surreal-experience-there-s-nothing-normal/) [Samantha Barks](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/samantha-barks/) > [Normality wasn't normal. It couldn't be. If normality were normal, everybody could leave it alone. They could sit back and let normality manifest itself.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jeffrey-eugenides/normality-wasn-t-normal-it-couldn-t-be-if-normality-were-normal/) [Jeffrey Eugenides](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jeffrey-eugenides/) > [I find it difficult enough as it is to keep some kind of normality in my life. I enjoy this experience, but I don't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/george-michael/i-find-it-difficult-enough-as-it-is-to-keep-some-kind-of-normality-in/) [George Michael](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/george-michael/) > [“It's the shock of the thing, is what I'm saying, and my new and somewhat untested theory is that when something is shocking it…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krystelle-bamford/it-s-the-shock-of-the-thing-is-what-i-m-saying-and-my-new-and/) Krystelle Bamford > [There are a lot of factors in the life of an F1 driver which can combine to make you believe that you are somehow…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/damon-hill/there-are-a-lot-of-factors-in-the-life-of-an-f1-driver-which-can/) [Damon Hill](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/damon-hill/) ## More by Gabrielle Palmer > [“The BFHI was designed to protect and promote exclusive breastfeeding, but its provisions always included the acceptance of medically indicated replacement feeding. When this…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-palmer/the-bfhi-was-designed-to-protect-and-promote-exclusive-breastfeeding/) [Gabrielle Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-palmer/) > [“Babies who do not sleep ‘through the night’ alone in a cot, as soon as possible after birth, are seen as a ‘problem’.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-palmer/babies-who-do-not-sleep-through-the-night-alone-in-a-cot-as-soon-as/) [Gabrielle Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-palmer/) > [“a midwife’s role was to work with nature, whereas a doctor was trained to seek out its defects and remedy them.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-palmer/a-midwife-s-role-was-to-work-with-nature-whereas-a-doctor-was-trained/) [Gabrielle Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-palmer/) > [“a product presented as ‘closest to mother’s milk’ might actually include potatoes, fungi and beans, depending on the price of course.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-palmer/a-product-presented-as-closest-to-mother-s-milk-might-actually/) [Gabrielle Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-palmer/) > [“It is difficult to insist on breastfeeding because nurses and physicians are eager to have the infant show the greatest possible gain.”12”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gabrielle-palmer/it-is-difficult-to-insist-on-breastfeeding-because-nurses-and/) [Gabrielle Palmer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gabrielle-palmer/) > [“In some countries, pumping has become the default method of expression, and hand expression has become an afterthought. 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