Time Magazine - Are you Mom Enough

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Time Magazine's coverage of Attachment Parenting and the controversial cover "Are you Mom Enough" of a Mom nursing a preschooler has upset hundreds of Moms across the world.

Read the background behind the cover and share your thoughts here:
 

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I was looking at Magazines over the weekend and noticed that the cover in question is not available in Hong Kong. The story is in this week's magazine but its being sold with a different cover (french elections)...Havent read the story yet.
 
how can they imply that just because you breastfeed until the child is school-age, that makes you a better mother???

to each their own....

not my cup of tea, and while i don't understand and would be uncomfortable having my own children (not babies) breastfeed so long.... that really doesn't matter. what matters if if THAT mother is comfortable with it.

i think i take more issue with her seeming attitude in the picture. it seems to say, 'go ahead and say something.... i DARE YOU!'
 
As a cover, sales for the issue will certainly go through the roof. Unfortunately , the confronting photo distracts the very interesting topic of attachment parenting. Some call it a desperate, cheap shot.

I personally have no issues with the cover or the photo. It just made me curious about attachment parenting as it is not a parenting style for me but I respect those who chose this route. So in this respect, I would say its an effective cover.
 
To each his own re breastfeeding your 3 year old. I just wonder if the woman had thought about how her son will probably hate high school, before agreeing to the shoot.
 
I think that when it comes to specific "schools of thought" on parenting (such as "attachment parenting") it gets just about as uncomfortable as being around people who are absolutely fanatical about their religion...I would say that "parenting types" is a new type of religion and for some people it's just more than we can stomach to hear people endlessly go on about how great they are and how wonderful their view of the world is and how everyone else is doing it in an inferior way (whether it's spoken or unspoken, that's the message because why would people crusade so hard for a view unless they felt they were absolutely correct?) It creates an "us" vs. "them" mentality that is not at all welcoming.

So, while many people choose to opt out of religious debates just because rarely does any good come of them, I choose to avoid all the "parenting types" conversations. If people ask, I can tell them what works for me but I don't find it beneficial to have to be a part of "movement" so I can have a "self-identity."

I don't think we need to slap a label on everything to have a sense of self. Be confident in who you are and what you do and be open-minded.

In some ways I think that the way I approach parenting may have some overlap with what is labeled "attachment parenting." I prefer to parent MY WAY which gives me to freedom to pick and choose what works for me without having to be part of a "school of thought." I do follow some AP blogs and FB pages etc. and while some of the information available through them is beneficial, man, a lot of the people who use those resources are super snotty or militant.

As far as extended breastfeeding goes, I thought this article was interesting.

But, we all know that the cover of Time is just sensationalism...just like the infamous "Tiger Mother" article of a year ago. :)
 
The Tiger Mom article was the first thing that came to my mind too. It seems that this cover has generated a lot of discussion while I wonder how many people have actually read the article - I tried but it needs a subscription. So a successful cover but I'm more curious about what's inside.

And as for labels, on these forums someone mentioned they are not a fan of "child-centered parenting". I had a LOL moment. Isn't all parenting supposed to be child-centered?
 
Thought this commentary was good as well about how the media takes everyone for a ride.

And to charade, doesn't it seem like an oxymoron to have parenting be nothing BUT "child-centered"? I mean, I guess there are a range of ways it can be "child-centered" but in reality parenting is about taking care of children.
 
Thank you Thanka2, the first link made me cry as well. In all the furore, I am yet to come across one good reason why someone shouldn't breastfeed a toddler if that works for them. All I hear is - not good for their development (but nothing to back that up) and ew, gross. The irony is that I would never do it myself (mainly because I find breastfeeding a literal pain in the boob) but I don't see that as a reason why someone else shouldn't.

Now, can someone tell me where I can read the actual Time article for free (because I object to their stupid headline but mainly because I am cheap)?
 
As a new mother I didn't specifically set out to follow attachment style parenting, I just did what felt right for us. It was how I was raised, and so naturally how I would choose to raise my family.

I also feel a little sad when people say attachment parenting is ?more about the mother than the child?. This shows such misunderstanding, and if you knew that I hadn?t been out alone since having a baby, or hadn?t slept uninterrupted all night since having a baby, you might rethink that ill-informed opinion. I?m not in any way complaining, I love my life as a mother and wouldn't change a thing. I don't feel like a martyr or deprived of a life, I just recognize that these years in my child?s life are more critical to him than me.

I?m not saying I?m a fan of the Time article, I thought the photo was ridiculously posed, unnatural and uncomfortable ? who nurses standing on a chair anyway? It was the wording I found most offensive - attachment parenting is what the majority of the world?s parents practice, albeit without the label, so why people think it is extreme or strange is beyond me (some might say its far more extreme to wean to a bottle shortly after birth, or leave a baby to cry?). I also think its unfair to compare mothers - of course we are all ?mom enough? - we?re doing the best we can, none of us are perfect but we are all raising our children with love in our own way.

As for the brouhaha surrounding nursing a toddler, why? The worldwide average is 4 years. If you think it?s inappropriate or sexual then gosh you?ve got issues. A child has no idea that breasts can be sexual parts; so projecting adult ideas onto a child is what?s inappropriate.

Nursing a toddler is completely normal and natural. The popular opinion that it has no benefits after 12 months is fallacy. Aside from filling nutritional gaps in diet, here are some of my main motivations for breastfeeding a toddler:

Immunological: You immunize your kids right? Breastmilk can be thought of as ?micro-immunization?. Packed with white blood cells and antibodies, it provides a level of protection against day-to-day illnesses. Developmental: The long-chain fatty acids in breastmilk are important for nerve growth, most critical in the brain and eyes. Emotional. Breastfeeding helps soothe trips to the doctor, long haul flights, jet-lag, falls and injuries, teething, sickness, frights etc. Anti-Allergy: Breastmilk contains anti-allergy and anti-inflammatory properties, which according to research provides some protection to anaphylaxis.

Having said all that, it?s nobody's business how a mother chooses to feed or raise her child. If she has made that informed decision for herself (not pushed into it by healthcare providers, media, family or whatever) and is comfortable with that choice then great!

Why make a fuss?
 
howardcoombs said:
oh, puhlease.
Time magazine is (rightly) being taken to task for using controversial imagery. How is the above any different..Tugging at parents heart strings to push a different agenda....
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Just another take on the story. Everyone has the right to tell their story and everyone also has the right to feel how they want to about the story without being mocked and made fun of. The above article was the testimony of one woman that I found touching. I will not apologize for being touched by it.

As a man who has, I assume, never had the personal experience of breastfeeding a child, I find your remarks the least qualified in this forum. Quit your bullying please.
 
thanka2 said:
Just another take on the story. Everyone has the right to tell their story and everyone also has the right to feel how they want to about the story without being mocked and made fun of. The above article was the testimony of one woman that I found touching. I will not apologize for being touched by it.
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No one has asked you to apologize, stop being so sensitive. I was not criticizing you but rather the story which is using the same tactics as time magazine to push its own agenda. By the same token, when I appreciated the second story, it had nothing to do with liking/appreciating you; just the story.
As a man who has, I assume, never had the personal experience of breastfeeding a child, I find your remarks the least qualified in this forum. Quit your bullying please.
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The story has as much todo with breastfeeding as manipulation of the general public by media. As an avid reader as well as a parent, I'm well qualified to comment and make judgement on various forms of manipulation. If you dont enjoy my commentary, feel free to use the ignore link and you wont see a peep from me.
 
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