Topic : 10/07 The Latest Debates

Quote From: wpgangela

Yes, Mom, great strategy! You're teaching your boys to be filled with fear and disgust upon seeing a female's breast. Wow. I'm sure they'll all be great getting dates and not to mention those lucky ladies that eventually might choose to marry them one day. I am sure they will go on to someday have uncomfortable sex after much therapy and counseling, and perhaps even have children of their own. Then they can in turn feed those babies in shame and discomfort too. What's even better those children will learn too to be afraid and uncomfortable about their own bodies and so repeat the entire cycle for generations to come. Good idea. 

  

Angela 

  

PS. I am being SO very sarcastic here, I can't even express it enough. 

  

PPS. Children are born pure hearted, innocent and uncorrupted. The responsibility of a parent is to teach their children. You essentially start with a clean slate. Parents make choices everyday about how to influence, teach and guide their kids. I know I will be very careful and aware of what I decide to teach my kids. I will strive everyday to make sure my lessons are positive in nature. (IE, naked people are not evil, just merely naked.) I am not willing to pass alone my negative, destructive and corrupt "hang-ups" and impose my will upon theirs. Did you perhaps stop to consider that when your children say they are uncomfortable with any particular situation that it leaves you an open window to discuss it frankly and openly with them first? To explore the possibilities and teach them with loving guidance all of the possible positive ways of framing their concerns, and then letting them decide for themselves what they think or feel? Kids are very smart and not dumb by any stretch of the imagination. They don't need adults to think for them. They sure don't need narrow minded negative adults imposing their ill wills on them. The only reason why a child would ever be ashamed of nudity of any degree is if it was somehow TAUGHT that way to them. By you or anyone else. (It's understandably common for sexual abuse victims to have this viewpoint for example.) I don't think that truly your children are uncomfortable with Nursing in Public, anyhow. I think YOU are. I think you should seek out help if you are infact threatened by a nude human form for whatever reason. Especially if all it takes to send you over the deep end is just the sight of a tiny portion of a BF'ing mothers breast that is only exposed temporarily and only for a very practical (and essential,) use. Get help for yourself if this seems so. If your children have been corrupted and taught that boobs are disgusting for whatever reason, again, find them help. It could be quite serious. (No kidding here, I mean this.) 

Quote From: luvnmykids

  

  

   I do agree that the woman who was feeding her child should have had the respect to cover herself up with a light blanket while feeding her baby.  Also if the baby was smacking the chances are he/she wasn't latched on correctly.  I do agree that she could have done things to make it less obvious of what was happening.   

  

What I don't understand is why you call her a shack up.  I understand that maybe her and the father of the child aren't married.  But what about this situation really upset you???  The fact that she nursed at the table or the fact that she was nursing a baby created with her by your ex husband.???  I think there was more to the story than you let on!!! 

Quote From: swimfinmom

All these "anti" folks use the same adjectives -- "whip it out", "in your face", "waving in the breeze", and so many others that have NOTHING to do with reality.  In reality, as anyone who has nursed can tell you, the most you are going to see is the very briefest flash, and then the baby covers the whole deal.   

So these "anti" folks aren't really offended by what they SEE (which in general is nothing), but the VERY IDEA that a baby is nursing.  That is just how twisted this country has become. 

I was asked to stop breastfeeding my baby at the YMCA (a place that is supposed to be about HEALTHY CHOICES, pretty ironic).  I was by the side of the pool, but get this -- I was sitting in the bleachers, being so careful to be modest that I was sitting backwards -- WITH MY BACK TO THE POOL.  So whoever complained certainly wasn't complaining about anything they could SEE. 

You want to know what I told the Aquatics Director who came to tell me to take it to the bathroom?  I said, "You know what, I don't mean to kill the messenger, but not only 'No', but 'No, and bite me!" 

I further told her that if she decided to push me on this issue, I would call the press and organize a protest.  She left very flustered, bless her heart. lol 

Unfortunately, not every mom has that confidence -- I've been nursing for most of 16 years now, thanks to extended nursing and having my children (five of them) three years apart.  I feel for new moms who may not know how to handle situations like that.  The policy there has since changed and moms are welcome to nurse their children anywhere in the Y. 

I hope Dr. Phil will decide to explore this subject further. 

  

Quote From: lannister

Breast isn't always best, and to say so is an affront to all those who have adopted children, who have suffered from breast cancer and have survived to go on to have children and who can't breastfeed for a variety of reasons.  

  

The antibodies provided via breastmilk are only as good as the antibodies the mother herself has.  If the mother has a poor immune system, she's not necessarily passing on anything special.  

  

The problem with statistics is that they don't account for all factors.  There are other equally important factors that go into raising a healthy child.  You can breastfeed 'til you're blue in the face, but if you live in a poor area or have poor nutrition yourself, or don't have access to health care, or can't get your kids a decent education, then all the breastmilk in the world isn't going to make your child healthier or smarter than a bottle-feeding mother who is extremely healthy herself, who has the money and time to provide the best nutrition, the best care, and the best education for her child.  

  

I and my children have never once had strep, the flu, or any other major virus.  My sister-in-law and her kids all have.  I never breastfed.  She did.  Explain that, then, if breastmilk gave her kids better antibodies than I did.   

  

This is where your arguments always fall apart -- when you start dealing with real, live individual people instead of faceless,  nameless statistics that don't take all factors into account.  

  

Go ahead and breastfeed.  That's great.  But don't tell me I made a second-rate choice unless you can prove every breastfed kid is healthier and smarter than every bottle-fed kid.  It's just not so, so you can't say that breast is best.  Didn't do my sister-in-law's kids much good.  

Quote From: tvroxde

I don't think there is one answer for every family--I have taken my newborn to three "R" rated movies after nine o'clock--he slept through every one, only waking up to.....you guessed it........breastfeed.  SILENTLY.  I doubt anyone else in the theater even knew he was there.  So let's try not to judge a working mother who has older kids at home and is trying to get two hours of adult sanity--at the expense of NO ONE's peace and quiet.

Quote From: antedote

The value system you are referring to seems to be one that places things (like the expense of your graduation dinner) before people.   Why would you want to separate the family by banishing the nursing mother to another room on such a joyous FAMILY occasion??

Quote From: lucifie

 I fully support breastfeeding in public, but what you describe is a little different scenario.  If I'm at somebody's home, I don't nurse at the dinner table.  I'll excuse myself and go to another room, the living room, for example.  I learned early on that if I didn't get over my fear of nursing in public, I'd have a very lonely life the whole time I'm nursing.  When my daughter was 2 weeks old my mom invited the extended family to her house for dessert to meet the baby.  She started to get fussy and I went to one of the bedrooms to feed her.  When I finished, everyone was gone.  I felt so isolated. 

Now that I've gotten over my discomfort, I don't have a problem feeding her in public.  If I'm in a restaurant with my husband I'll feed her.  I don't put a blanket over her head, but I make sure that I'm covered.  I don't see why anyone has a problem with that kind of situation.  We're not talking about "Girls Gone Wild".  This is nothing more than a baby needing to eat.

Quote From: jster64

It's amazing how many women are offended by this and yet I haven't heard from one man that is offended.  You are living in a dream world and need to wake up if you think that you can schedule the naps and feedings of a newborn baby.  I would never get out of the house if I waited til my son woke up and then fed him and went out.  We don't all live in big cities where everything we need is a block away.  My grocery store is only five minutes away and by the time I get half way through the store he is hungry again.  That is with feeding him before we leave home.  Babies have tiny tummies.  They are not dogs.  You can not schedule a walk and feeding time for them.  I don't think women need to flaunt their breast while preparing to feed.  You can be tactful about it.  But tell me what you would rather see... me ignore my crying child because a one person bathroom isn't available and my child is screaming he is hungry.  Or... me discretely feed my son and not disturb you.  You shouldn't be gawking at me anyway.  But let me tell you if my baby starts crying you would probably be the first to complain about that too.

Quote From: lannister

Yes, but suppose he hadn't?  That's why it's inappropriate.   

  

That's also why more and more theaters are refusing to allow small children into shows meant for an older audience, especially in the evenings.  

Those of us who are considerate enough to hire a sitter have a right not to be interrupted by a crying baby.   

  

You can't guarantee your baby won't cry next time.  That's why your baby doesn't belong at an adult show.  

People make sacrifices.  If you have babies, the reality is you don't get to do what you did before you had babies.   But this new "it's all about me" generation thinks they can do what they please no matter how inconsiderate it is to the people around them.