[aubers68]

Time breastfeeding cover sparks controversy | The Cutline - Yahoo! News

[Sherry777]

My co-workers are already commenting on it. One said it was abuse. Another said it was time to stop when your kid can use a sippy cup. I personally don't see anything wrong with it.

[TuckrLeesMommy]

I See nothing wrong with this!
It's a personal choice!
The fact that they are making such a big deal over this just shows how stuoid people are!
If a mother wants to breast feed her child for a year or 6 years it doesn't matter. That is her choice and her right as a woman who carried that child within her body for 9 months.
It just blows my mind how much people make choices like that their business!

I See nothing wrong with this!
It's a personal choice!
The fact that they are making such a big deal over this just shows how stuoid people are!
If a mother wants to breast feed her child for a year or 6 years it doesn't matter. That is her choice and her right as a woman who carried that child within her body for 9 months.
It just blows my mind how much people make choices like that their business!
That shows that that child has an amazing mother who continues to give everythin she has to her child.

[K.A.T]

I can see the controversy over it. People are very ignorant when it comes to breast feeding in general. Personally, I wouldn't bf a child of that age, but if another mom wants to...go for it. I think it's a good cover that will get people thinking.

[aubers68]

How would you explain this to your child if they seen it in the store? Do you think it places an imagine in young kids minds? Do you think they see it as sexual?
I am pro breastfeeding, but I guess I don't understand the purpose at this age if the infant/child is old enough to physically eat nourishing/healthy foods on their own. Maybe one day I will see it differently, but right now, I'm not 100% sure how I feel about this particular photo. I almost feel like it's mocking breastfeeding mothers.

[Tweetz]

I dont think id be able to bf my child at that age BUT i am definetly not one to judge..IT IS PERSONAL CHOICE, like Maddie said, if she carried that baby in her body all that time and had to have gone thru labor to deliver him, IT IS HER CHOICE

[Jennifer8080]

I see nothing wrong with breast feeding your toddler. I see everything wrong with the way they portrayed the image (that kid does NOT look 3 and that's not normal to have your kid standing on a chair like that)!!!! And their description just sucks.

[aubers68]

Originally Posted by Jennifer8080

I see nothing wrong with breast feeding your toddler. I see everything wrong with the way they portrayed the image (that kid does NOT look 3 and that's not normal to have your kid standing on a chair like that)!!!! And their description just sucks.

I think this is exactly why I'm set off by it....

[junie22]

I have to agree with Jennifer. I think Time really exploited the mother and child here. That kid looks at least 5 years old, and I think that's what they're going for to make it more sensationalistic.

[K.A.T]

Originally Posted by aubers68

How would you explain this to your child if they seen it in the store? Do you think it places an imagine in young kids minds? Do you think they see it as sexual?
I am pro breastfeeding, but I guess I don't understand the purpose at this age if the infant/child is old enough to physically eat nourishing/healthy foods on their own. Maybe one day I will see it differently, but right now, I'm not 100% sure how I feel about this particular photo. I almost feel like it's mocking breastfeeding mothers.

I would explain that it's a mom breastfeeding her child. If this were a third world country, we would be seeing children up to the age of 5 if not older breastfeeding naturally. It will only place an image in the mind with no explanation or understanding, which makes it a dangerous image if not explained correctly. No, a child shouldn't see it as sexual as long as they aren't exposed to idiotic mind set that breastfeeding is sexual. It simply is not. It's a tool of nourishment for our children, nothing more nothing less.

Originally Posted by Jennifer8080

I see nothing wrong with breast feeding your toddler. I see everything wrong with the way they portrayed the image (that kid does NOT look 3 and that's not normal to have your kid standing on a chair like that)!!!! And their description just sucks.

Yeah the way the did the posing for the picture is out there. It's not a natural way of doing it. But if it gets people thinking and talking, I'm all for it.

[MosaicWife]

I think a few things. A.)she is gorgeous! B.) that kid is freaking tall for being only three! And 3.) this picture was taken this way for a reason, to draw attention and get you to buy the magazine. Personally, I think if it gets some narrow minded person to read the actual article about attachment parenting and maybe change their mind a little bit I'm all for it. KIDS don't see things as sexual. Adults do. If you teach a young child that breastfeeding is a form of nourishment then that is how they will see it. I would have no problem with my daughter seeing this picture. Honestly, she wouldn't care less about it. It's not something that will make a three year old gasp in shock.

i agree that it's a personal choice as to whether a woman breastfeeds her child to that age or not, but i find the picture itself extremely disturbing. it's one thing to say "look, this happens and it's a personal decision" but it's quite another to have a woman standing there like that with her child standing on a chair sucking from her breast. i don't know anyone who would naturally breast feed like that.

[20ghanover]

While I espouse many of the attachment parenting principles, I will admit I have a fundamental discomfort with the pressures it places on women - sometimes it almost feels as though we are taking a step backwards in our progress.

I know there are several on the board who may respectfully disagree with me...and that's okay...but sleeping with your child, breastfeeding for years, exclusively wearing your child instead of using a stroller, attending to every need above all else.....all of it seems (to me) to tether a woman to the house & home in an unrealistic way. If I followed AP to the "T", I could not possibly also work outside the home.

I believe parenting styles differ and what works for some does not for others...and if you find a style that works for you and your family, go for it! What bothers me is the pressure that AP is the BEST when in may cases it is incompatible with moms who work outside the home. I hate that we still have "mommy wars" - breast vs bottle, CIO vs AP, etc....enough already, just do what works for you and be mature enough to respect others' choices!

So while I think the TIME discussion is worthwhile, I hate the cover.

[Pinkhighheels27]

To each their own, but I find it inappropriate. Not for sexual reasons, etc....but by this time a 3 year old can feed themselves. But, mothers can choose whatever they please

[HippieLove]

I believe it is a personal decision that shouldn't be up to anyone else but the individual family.

Originally Posted by MosaicWife

I think a few things. A.)she is gorgeous! B.) that kid is freaking tall for being only three! And 3.) this picture was taken this way for a reason, to draw attention and get you to buy the magazine. Personally, I think if it gets some narrow minded person to read the actual article about attachment parenting and maybe change their mind a little bit I'm all for it. KIDS don't see things as sexual. Adults do. If you teach a young child that breastfeeding is a form of nourishment then that is how they will see it. I would have no problem with my daughter seeing this picture. Honestly, she wouldn't care less about it. It's not something that will make a three year old gasp in shock.

Couldn't of said it better.

[one.juniper]

Three-years-old or not I think its great they put a picture of breastfeeding on the cover of Time! People need to get over their prudishness and become more comfortable with the concept of breastfeeding. Everyone's like Oh ya breastfeeding is best but no one wants to actually know about it, see it or talk about it really.

p.s. the comment in the article about it being a legitimate debate, I don't agree with that. I don't think its up to debate at all about how long a woman chooses to breastfeed.

[Mrs. Mustin]

Personally, I think everyone is entitled to their own opinions, but I have an issue with the cover for a few reasons.

First, that child doesn't look three, and I think the way they are posed is just disturbing. Second, I don't care for the title, "Are You Mom Enough?" I feel that it implies that if you don't agree with the AP thinking, you aren't Mom enough for it. Just because I don't AP doesn't make me any less of a mom. Last, if I chose to BF my child for years, that would be my own personal decision, and I wouldn't put myself, my child, or both of our names in a magazine. I wonder what this kid will think of this when he's a teenager.

Just my opinion though, every one is entitled to their own, but I don't want a magazine making me feel less than for not agreeing with a certain view.

[Jessimaaka]

Originally Posted by Jennifer8080

I see nothing wrong with breast feeding your toddler. I see everything wrong with the way they portrayed the image (that kid does NOT look 3 and that's not normal to have your kid standing on a chair like that)!!!! And their description just sucks.

This exactly.

[2pinks&ablue]

I think the image and title are distasteful, but it will get people talking. There is absolutely nothing wrong with BFing until that age if the mother and child choose to do so, 70 or 80 years ago it was the norm. It is in no way "sexual" or "explicit" it is healthy. I didn't BF my children for that long, but a part of me wishes I had. There is nothing wrong with formula feeding, don't get me wrong, but there is nothing wrong with extended BFing either. It's all in what's best for the individual family. If one of my children saw that in a store they would just assume, that mommy is feeding her kid.

[Jenn1320]

I definitely agree the photo is sensationalism at its best, but I think there are bigger issues to worry about than a mother breastfeeding her 3 y.o.

I personally LOL'd when I saw the pic. Seriously, who cares?