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GSPS and Conference Compared

By Katy Smith, Yakima, WA

As Leaders make plans to attend a La Leche League International Conference, many find themselves caught up in the decision to attend the pre-conference gathering of Leaders (known as the Global Strategic Planning Summit or GSPS for the 2007 LLLI Conference). Due to financial and/or family concerns, some Leaders feel they can attend either the pre-conference GSPS or the conference but not both. Recently I discussed this with other Leaders and I tried to explain how I felt about the differences between these events, based on my experiences at the past three LLLI Conferences. 

At the pre-conference I make connections with other Leaders. Some of the sessions are like LLL meetings but for Leaders only on Leader-related topics. That is where I sit next to a Leader from Greece, Mexico, or Japan and I find that we have some of the same concerns and also some very different ones. 

The pre-conference is where I get an idea of how some of my fellow Leaders feel and what they think. It's not always an entirely pleasant experience but it has been valuable to me the past three times I have attended. For instance, I had some mixed feelings about the Open Space meetings in 2005, but one session stood out and has continued to resonate with me. It was about the importance of mother-baby togetherness. In that session I learned that mothers with extensive separation from their babies are being accredited and that many Leaders find this acceptable or necessary. I also understood that there are Leaders opposed to this practice and who are determined to continue to emphasize mother-baby togetherness as they feel it is a vital and unique part of the very foundation of LLL. I have continued to explore this issue, in my own thinking and also in discussions with other Leaders because I think it is an important topic.

At the pre-conference I get some understanding of how and why administrative decisions are made at the Area and Division level. I put faces to names and see that the way I judge some people via email is not necessarily accurate! I find inspiration in seeing how many of those in administrative positions are working so hard to help LLL function. I see things that concern me, too––things with which I don't agree. But I appreciate all that I learn because it helps me decide what I believe and what I want to do in LLL.

The actual conference is where I get a confirmation that La Leche League matters in the world. That is when I feel absolutely justified in making a commitment to LLL. It reinforces my belief that my children have a better life because of LLL. The speakers, the conference goers, the exhibits, the alumnae room, the tea - all of it speaks to my heart and says, "This is your place, this is where you belong, this is why you do the work you do, this is why it was worth the effort to come here, this is what you want to bring others into, this is what has made you the mother you are." I choked up the first night at my first LLLI Conference and I thought it was just because I was so overwhelmed. But I got the same feeling at the next one, and the next one! That is the feeling that makes me return. I cannot put a price on it and I can never adequately explain how much it means to me. Those frustrating phone calls with overwhelmed mothers, the helping situations with babies with serious issues, rushed meals for family on meeting day, hectic meetings filled with side-conversations and mothers with other causes, misunderstandings with co-Leaders, discouragements with Area work - POOF - all gone for a moment! Not to disappear, but to settle into perspective. I come away thinking it is all worth it. My energy and attitude are renewed (though I am completely exhausted and will need a week to recover!). 

If I had to decide between the GSPS and the LLLI Conference, I would have to try to be perfectly honest with myself and answer, "which do I need more right now: connections with other Leaders, a greater understanding of how LLL is functioning and what I can do or validation, information/education, and recharge for being an LLL Leader ‘in the trenches’ and mothering with LLL philosophy in mind?"

I always want to go to both, if only for the fact that if I am already paying to get there, I might as well get as much as I can (and let me also confess that I rarely make it through an entire session - it's so much to take in). Going to both pre-conference and the conference gives me a more balanced perspective than if I just went to one. If I were able to get a large dose of either type of "support" somewhere else, I would feel less concerned about getting it at the LLLI Conference. However, there is a wonderful and unique global feeling at an LLLI Conference that really can’t be found anywhere else!

At the first LLLI Conference I attended, I felt very nervous about leaving my children at home with their father. My youngest was 3½-years-old and still nursing. However, my husband felt very strongly that we were all ready for separation and that it was important for me to attend. It had actually been his Christmas gift to me! I cut it as short as I could, missed the first day of the pre-conference and left before closing banquet. The hardest thing about leaving my children was hearing another Leader’s critical remark about my choice to leave them at home. The best thing was walking off the airplane and seeing the most beautiful children I had ever seen in my life waiting there and realizing they were MINE! My son resumed nursing without incident until he weaned on his own seven months later. They had a wonderful time while I was away, traveling 300 miles to visit friends and Dad's childhood town. I realized one or two more days apart would have made no difference to my children, but it would have made a huge difference to me.

This conference will be my first with an accompanying spirited toddler. He was a baby in a sling at the last LLLI Conference! My teen daughters will be along to help, but I expect there will be some things I will miss out on in order to tend to the needs of my little guy. But my husband and I know this is what is best for our family at this time.

Each family has different factors and each Leader has her own line to draw. The variables for a Leader separating from her family to go to an LLL event are probably as vast as weaning ages. And some of those variables are just as emotional and hard to figure out. I believe it is important to support each other and respect that each Leader is making the best decision for herself and her family.