What I think of the Time Cover

As a currently breastfeeding mother who identifies with Dr. Sears tenets of Attachment parenting. I have some thoughts on the recent cover of Time Magazine. I have read articles from the all sides and even the mom who posed for this picture and I have come up with a couple of points.


First of all, talk about fanning the exhausting cat fight that is the Mommy wars,  I think that being a parent is hard no matter what choices you make.  Just the title "Are you Mom enough" is begging for a battle that I just don't want to fight.  I have chosen to breastfeed,  baby wear, co-sleep and stay home with my daughter.   I didn't make these choices based only on what I wanted,  I made them on what she has needed.   I have in fact adjusted many of my expectations in order to accommodate her,  this to me is the basis of attachment parenting. This way of life works for us and I have a very healthy, social and independent child.  I receive allot of negative comments regarding some of our choices which I made in her best interest.  I would never assume that I am more of a Mother because my choices are different than my friends. I am blessed with a group of women who are all first time moms.  We are all parenting differently yet we experience so many of the same things.  Why as a society can we not all band together and support each other?  I am so happy that I have that support in real life because I don't see that in the media. 

I truly believe that most parents are doing whats best for their family.  So its not my place to say that she is damaging her child by breastfeeding until he is 3 or older.  I do think that as parents we are held accountable for what our children are exposed to,  as this article pointed out,  there is a little boy who will one day be in school who all of the world will recognize as the kid with a boob in his mouth.  So whether its right or wrong he will still be subjected to the world's thoughts on his little life. I am not appalled or disgusted by the fact this woman breast feeds her three year old but I am appalled that she would use her child to further her agenda and lets be honest Breastfeeding is her agenda. It is her son's normal and how dare she exploit that for her son.  There are many other ways that she could have communicated her thoughts and parenting styles.   For the record I think that many parents are desinsitized to protecting their children because of our current social media usage.  We have lost site of just how many people might see the pictures or read the stories of our kids.

This picture (I haven't read the actual article, I couldn't find it online)  doesn't necessarily represent how everybody practices attachment parenting.   My 13 month old mostly nurses at night and in the morning, during the day she is much too busy to sit still.  She also now sleeps in her own bed and only eats once a night.  To think that I will be nursing at 3 years old is pretty unbelievable given her current development and I would like to take a trip with my husband before 2014 so I doubt that still breastfeeding is plausible. I would say that this woman doesn't represent a majority,  or at least not with the people that I know.  Also,  I have never nursed while looking as if I was ready for a photo shoot but then again I am not a model and apparently this isn't really the model's,  Jamie Lynne Grumet,  normal either.  The photographer is quoted as saying  "I liked the idea of having the kids standing up to underline the point that this was an uncommon situation."  Grumet is also quoted as saying "I understand some of the breast-feeding advocates are actually upset about this because I feel like (the pictures) don't show the nurturing side to attachment parenting," Grumet said. "This isn't how we breast-feed at home.  Grumet also still nurses her adopted son who is 5 occasionally.  So why did she agree to this picture?  I am guessing Time magazine wants to cause a stir,  which they have now done.

All in all I am interested in reading this article.  My hope is that articles like these will spark conversations and allow women to ban together and bolster each other in one anothers mothering journeys.  However,  based on the media so far,  the title and  picture on the cover I think Time has just started another thing for Women to compare themselves and each other against.