COMPLETELY OT (and probably inappropriate for posting here) but have you seen this?

Traci (macortiz) hipped me to this month’s cover of Time Magazine, which features a picture of a woman breast feeding her three year old son. Who is standing on a chair. And her boob is exposed on the cover.

(Gasp! Boobs!)

Here’s the link: http://blog.chron.com/momhouston/2012/05/time-magazine-stirs -with-cover-of-3-year-old-breastfeeding/

Thoughts? I have my own views on breastfeeding so I will answer in a separate post. 

I saw it this morning. Wow. My opinion (and remember..this is just MY opinion) when they are old enough to drink from a sippy cup at the table, it is time to start shutting the girls down. LOL. I did breastfeed my daughter until about 1 1/2, and that was getting a little old.

 I had a unique situation with my youngest. Their dad and I broke up when I was 2 weeks pregnant so by the time she was born we had a nice little visitation arrangement put together. Well...I underestimated my milk production. She'd be gone three days out of the week (I pumped for her) and man was I in pain those three days!

I hung in there for six months then gave up the ghost. 

Ok so my thoughts.

#1 - Time did the photo like that to be provocative. The child does not get on step stools to yank out his mom's boob and suck on it. Which is what the naysayers are all envisioning.

#2 - I am a BIG proponent of breast feeding. Prolonged breastfeeding? Meh. I sort of take my cues from nature. Even though I did have to supplement both girls (neither gained a lot of weight from my milk alone) I always believed I was given boobs by ______ (insert name of entity that you feel gives women boobs) to feed my child. That is their purpose. Not for the enjoyment of men, not for ornamentation and not to look good in a tight, low-cut shirt. But to feed children. (Again, my beliefs)

But going beyond that I sort of take my cues from nature. Baby animals drink their mother's mil****il they are able to eat solid food. That's how long I breastfed my kids. I don't know if there is any benefit to prolonged breastfeeding (not because there's not just because I never desired to do it and so I never researched). If there is, way to go mom's for defying social mores and doing what's best for your children! If not...well, it's not really any of my business.

But what I CAN say is that much of the mythology surrounding breastfeed (that I have heard and I've heard a lot) is just ridiculous. Breastfeeding does not make your kids fixated with breasts. It doesn't make them overly attached to their mother (my girls as babies would go to almost anybody almost anytime EXCEPT meal time). It doesn't sexualize them (rather, people have sexualized breastfeeding) and it doesn't make anybody a pervert.

So I guess in the end I respect this mom's right to breastfeed her son but wi**** was not portrayed on the magazine cover in that way. BUT...I don't think she is a victim. She posed for the picture didn't she?

I have little opinion except to wish the morality police weren't so fixated with boobs to begin with. I've always thought that it was one of the most sexist things in the world that a woman can be arrested for going topless and a man can't.. the inheritant unfairness bothered my young mind a LOT.

My aunt breast fed her kids. I remember I was visiting her shortly before she became estranged from teh entire family (misuse of inheritance funds, nothing to do with breastfeeding) and her four (or was it five?) year old came in the room where I was speaking with her, walked up to her, whipped out her boob and latched on.. I was somewhat taken aback. It seems t me that if you can have an intelligent conversation with a child, it's a bit late in life to be breastfeeding still

I tell ya, the "media" will do anything to get a shocking rise out of people and sell their wares. Anyway, the only thing I have to say is, are we sure that boy is just THREE??????

I saw the cover.  That is a big three year old kid.

Other than that, I think breastfeeding is a very good thing.  Better for mom, better for baby, in most cases.  And there are many benefits of extended breastfeeding.  It's my understanding that kids typically stop wanting to breastfeed around age three or four, and it's certainly not like they will be in high school and still want to nurse.  I don't see a problem.

And I don't think the mom in the photo has her breast exposed any more than you see models in bikinis with their breasts exposed.  Personally, I think a photo of a woman feeding her child is more approproate than many of the sexualized photos I see all over the place.

Although I wonder why they chose to photograph them in that position.  Because I really doubt the mom really stands up to feed the child and he stands on a chair to nurse.

For anyone interested in the benefits of extended breast feeding: kellymom.com/ages/older-infant/ebf-benefits/

Baby food....the way God intended

I have no problem with women breastfeeing in public if they are at least trying to be somewhat discrete. I do have a problem when they don't even try to be modest. A friend of my mom's used to just whip out her boob when we went out to lunch exposing herself for what seemed like quite a few minutes before her kid actually latched on. Not appropriate.