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So moms and people in general are all aflutter today with the current Time Magazine cover of a woman breastfeeding her 3 year old son. I’ve seen reactions range from “HIGHFIVE LADY” to “she should be ashamed what is her son going to think of this photo when he’s an adult”. I’m pretty sure Time did this for the reaction and it’s not hard right now to capitalize on the current trend of parenting styles ALL OVER THE INTERNET. The anti-vaxers, the anti-circumcision movement, the breastfeeding crusade, the cloth diaper swaps, the cosleeping coalition… it’s like a hippie’s dream.
Assuming your dream is to have a succubus stuck to you constantly for 18 years. Not my idea of fun. At all. Honestly, I think all this attachment parenting is going to guarantee that we raise the most codependent bunch of whiners we’ve ever seen. But that’s ANOTHER BLOG POST FOR ANOTHER DAY. LET THE HATE MAIL COME FORTH AND BLESS MY INBOX!
So about the cover. I really don’t have a problem with extended breastfeeding. I think it’s a decision that a family should make together. Do what works for THEM. You want to breastfeed your five year old? Go for it!
I really hate this cover though. But not for any of the reasons I’ve seen mentioned online yet. It’s not the picture, although it’s something that I’d never want, to stand there while my child is perfectly capable of grabbing a banana and eating it if he’s hungry, but because of what is implied in the text:
“ARE YOU MOM ENOUGH?”
Are you mom enough to do this? I hate the connotation that if you are worth anything as a mother, you will breastfeed till your child leaves for college. If you can’t or CHOOSE NOT TO breastfeed well then, you just aren’t MOM ENOUGH.
I’ve written about this before. I get really annoyed when I see parents are made to feel “less than” for a decision they’ve made. I get the appeal of attachment parenting but I do not get why a lot of the attachment parenters I see out there online feel the need to constantly shove their opinions and links and superiority complex and JUDGEMENT down your throat.
It’s mean and lame and STOP THAT.
JUST STOP.
*quietly steps off soapbox*