Not Breast-Feeding? Why Do You Ask?

https://www.nytimes.com/2018/09/26/opinion/letters/breast-feeding-etiquette.html

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To the Editor:

Re “What to Say When Someone Asks Why You Aren’t Breast-Feeding” (Smarter Living, nytimes.com, Sept. 24):

A response when a woman is asked why she isn’t breast-feeding her baby, as for all other intrusive, “none of your business” personal questions, is, “Why do you ask?”

I use this response frequently; it effectively reverses the dynamics of an inquisition. And when I’m asked why I am responding this way, I merely explain that the information is needed to identify the context for me to respond: Is there a health or safety issue I should know about? Or are you just being judgmental? What is the context?

It works for me.

Les SmithSan Diego