Time magazine has made headlines this week for igniting the unfortunately ever-present "mommy wars" with a controversial cover showing a mother breastfeeding her nearly 4-year-old child along with the headline, "Are you mom enough?
Hmm, I don't know, but the kid looks pretty happy...
When breastfeeding ends is between Mother & child. It is not anyone else's business. The Time cover was posed that way to specifically ignite controversy & to sell as my mags as possible.
My copy just came in the mail today....I haven't got past the cover, the lucky f#ckn kid....I swear that kid is never coming off of there...they'll likely have to pry him off with a putty knife...at the very least, that kid's gonna have a permanent smile on face - his whole freakin life...
I don't think it advances a serious discussion of this subject to sexualize what is being shown on the cover.
I wonder how hard it was to find the combination of hot mom and older toddler. In fact I wonder if that's really her kid.
"When breastfeeding ends is between Mother & child"
I disagree totally. I've seen mention of some physical health concerns, but more important are the mental health implications. At some point it is simply not appropriate, and while you can certainly debate when that point is, someone has to put their foot down. If it's not going to be the mother or the child, then someone else.
More on point, how the fuck is that kid gonna feel 10 years down the road about this? I can only imagine what his peers will be saying. Not cool.
I saw this the other day on DiscoveryNews. Breastfeeding stops when it stops, normally a natural stopping point would be a new child.
"The World Health Organization recommends breast-feeding until at least age 2, and the average age of weaning worldwide is about 4; a natural age of weaning humans is between 2 and 7, according to the American Academy of Family Physicians."
For me the biggest issue with the cover is that the mother would let her child be on the cover of a national magazine knowing what the reaction would be.
Better mother's milk than nuggets and fries.
Happy MILFs Day!
"At some point it is simply not appropriate, and while you can certainly debate when that point is, someone has to put their foot down. If it's not going to be the mother or the child, then someone else."
Another example of "anybody but the people involved know best" bullshit.
Mind your own fucking business.
GMD, I wasn't going to put it in quite those terms. But I'm surprised anyone on tuscl would advocate for regulating other peoples' business. There are plenty of people who would love to regulate our hobby out of existence.
@Ermita_Nights: Don't be silly. It's perfectly OK to interfere in this issue. Most of the interfering ones have penises, and as we all know, that's the most relevant qualification for instructing women on how to properly and appropriately use their breasts.
"But I'm surprised anyone on tuscl would advocate for regulating other peoples' business. There are plenty of people who would love to regulate our hobby out of existence."
Our hobby doesn't involve children.
The issue to me is that you have a party involved who really can't have a say in what happens, or simply doesn't know that they should have a say.
Prove to me that she's acting irresponsibly or counter to the welfare of the child with regard to breast feeding and I'll start listening.
Otherwise, mind your own fucking business.
Go back and read what I said. Otherwise, mind your own fucking business.
I responded directly to Alucard's statement that breastfeeding should stop only when the Mother or Child decides. Under that logic a woman could still be breast feeding when their kid is 11. I consider that harmful in more than one way.
Notice I also said that "when" is certainly open to debate.
Although I think it's safe to say that this woman in particular acted counter to the welfare of her child when she popped a picture of him on a national magazine being breastfed at that age. But I'm sure some wouldn't see an issue.
"I responded directly to Alucard's statement that breastfeeding should stop only when the Mother or Child decides"
I stand by my statement even if some persons think they totally know what is best for other persons NOT directly involved in their lives.
"Prove to me that she's acting irresponsibly or counter to the welfare of the child with regard to breast feeding and I'll start listening"
I agree.
I read what you said. You disagreed with Alucard's assertion that the decision about when to terminate breast feeding is between the mother and child. That means that you think it should be someone else's decision. Pure unadulterated bullshit.
Prove that it's "harmful in more than one way." Otherwise, mind your own fucking business.
I'd be happy too, if I had that position on her.