Decisions and the People Who Pay the Price
Recently, Time Magazine ran a sensational story, Are You Mom Enough? Great title to hook readers, and even more effective was the picture of a three-year old boy standing on a chair breastfeeding. Do you think he was really hungry or did the photographer pose him? Makes me sort of squirm to think of that photo shoot and it really makes me squirm when I think of the price the boy will pay for his mother’s public display of beliefs.
The Price
I’m confident that Jamie Lynne Grumet knew there would be a price to pay in exchange for her public statement in support of extended breastfeeding. She knew her story and cover photo were an invitation to comment and criticize her choices and that her right to privacy was now compromised—at least for a while. I wonder, though, if she thought about the price her son, Aram, would pay for her decision. Kids are tough on each other as it is, imagine what it must be like for him now that he’s famous for breastfeeding. Fast forward to middle and high school; how will this play out for him in the boys locker room and when he starts dating?
Bull's Eye
Grumet is supported by Dr. Bill Sears, pediatrician and author of "The Baby Book." In her defense and in defense of extended breastfeeding he told the Today Show, “"I've never yet seen an attachment parenting baby who has become a school bully." Yeah, but what about becoming the target of one? Unfortunately for this boy, other kids may not be able to understand the reasons behind his mother’s actions. They might only see it as an opportunity to ridicule and bully him. It’s not a stretch to imagine this happening; just read some of the bullying comments hurled at his mother by other adults; I’m afraid she’s painted a bull’s eye on him and his 5 year old brother.
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