Oh, Fer Cryin' Out Loud
It sure is interesting to listen to and read all the opinions about women who breastfeed their babies in public, especially when the woman doesn't "cover up".
Shocking. Distasteful. Tacky. Disgusting. Rude. Shameful. Inconsiderate. Immoral. Immodest. Exhibitionist. Oh there are more negative opinions but that should give you an idea about the ones I've read and heard recently.
As a woman who has done this breastfeeding thing with two children, I know that I was as discreet as possible and I would be willing to bet that most women do try to be discreet. The thing is, it is not always possible to cover a baby and the breast. Babies can be wriggly and, in hot weather, throwing a cover over a baby who is snuggled up with mom is tantamount to sticking both mom and baby inside a heater!
So what's the big deal anyway? Will A 15-second nipple shot in public while a mother positions her baby really end life as we know it? Will a mother and baby nursing quietly in a restaurant really disrupt and ruin the meals of every other diner in the place? As far as the accusations that hearing a baby "slurping and smacking" at the breast is a rude distraction to other diners, as well as disgusting, I suggest those people take a look at themselves as they smack and slurp their way through their own meal, laughing and talking with their mouths full and doing so in such a manner as to offend nearby diners themselves.
Something is wrong when scantily dressed, heavily made-up little pre-teen girls can wander unattended through malls but a mother breastfeeding her baby while seated on a bench in the same mall is asked to leave. The same thing goes for asking a mother to breastfeed her child in a restroom. How about asking that old man in the corner to eat in the bathroom because his dentures are slipping and it is really grossing me out? Or maybe the woman with the hissing oxygen mask should be asked to leave the restaurant because the noise is too distracting.
If people want to be shocked and offended, I guarantee it they will find something to trip their trigger. There are much more important things to be shocked and appalled about. How about focusing on those for a while instead of harrassing and insulting women who just want to take care of their babies? And here's a tip: I guarantee you that while you'll never see a poor woman who gets free baby formula from the government breastfeeding her child in public, you will also be footing the bill for her "free baby formula".
Shocking. Distasteful. Tacky. Disgusting. Rude. Shameful. Inconsiderate. Immoral. Immodest. Exhibitionist. Oh there are more negative opinions but that should give you an idea about the ones I've read and heard recently.
As a woman who has done this breastfeeding thing with two children, I know that I was as discreet as possible and I would be willing to bet that most women do try to be discreet. The thing is, it is not always possible to cover a baby and the breast. Babies can be wriggly and, in hot weather, throwing a cover over a baby who is snuggled up with mom is tantamount to sticking both mom and baby inside a heater!
So what's the big deal anyway? Will A 15-second nipple shot in public while a mother positions her baby really end life as we know it? Will a mother and baby nursing quietly in a restaurant really disrupt and ruin the meals of every other diner in the place? As far as the accusations that hearing a baby "slurping and smacking" at the breast is a rude distraction to other diners, as well as disgusting, I suggest those people take a look at themselves as they smack and slurp their way through their own meal, laughing and talking with their mouths full and doing so in such a manner as to offend nearby diners themselves.
Something is wrong when scantily dressed, heavily made-up little pre-teen girls can wander unattended through malls but a mother breastfeeding her baby while seated on a bench in the same mall is asked to leave. The same thing goes for asking a mother to breastfeed her child in a restroom. How about asking that old man in the corner to eat in the bathroom because his dentures are slipping and it is really grossing me out? Or maybe the woman with the hissing oxygen mask should be asked to leave the restaurant because the noise is too distracting.
If people want to be shocked and offended, I guarantee it they will find something to trip their trigger. There are much more important things to be shocked and appalled about. How about focusing on those for a while instead of harrassing and insulting women who just want to take care of their babies? And here's a tip: I guarantee you that while you'll never see a poor woman who gets free baby formula from the government breastfeeding her child in public, you will also be footing the bill for her "free baby formula".
posted by PeachCobbler | 6:24 PM
0 Comments:
Post a Comment
<< Home