A Little Rant

Dear Society,

What happened to the ‘children are our future’ way of thinking? It seems as long as their rearing does not offend or inconvenience us in anyway they ‘can stay’. Have we honestly become so sad to assume it is more ok to walk around baring much more flesh than any breastfeeding mother, even if she was sitting there topless, than it is to feed a child in public? We should ask ourselves is it OK to have people on and off the TV walking around in next to nothing but not OK for a breastfeeding mother to feed her child?

Have we become so self indulged that we assume everybody we meet will feel the same way as we do about breastfeeding in public. Is it not obvious that many may feel uncomfortable with it? How is that an outrage? How difficult is taking a little bit of time or effort to be sure our breastfeeding does not make others uncomfortable , for whatever reason be it reasonable or not in our own minds? Is it so hard to understand that many people have no problem with breastfeeding in itself, but are stricken with a fear that looking in that persons direction may forever brand them pervert? Others are reminded of how they could not breastfeed their own child or their own personal thoughts on modesty and what it means to them. Does it really make them insufferable monsters hell bent on ridding the planet of breastfeeding once and for all?

Have breastfeeding mothers not considered how upset bottle feeding mothers get when the topic turns to breast feeding and we go on about the benefits, some it must be said, in a fascist kind of way. Is it so hard to concede that what works for one does not always work for the other? Have bottle feeding mothers considered that the fact they did not or could not breastfeed does not mean every breastfeeding mother out there is judging them in a negative light? That every breastfeeding mother should not talk about it because it upsets them?

Have we become so self obsessed that as woman, as mothers, we sit around competing about which way is better to feed our children, then to just feed them? About which one of us are ‘better mothers’? It seems to me that for all our their crowing it is more about us, than the child. We should be asking ourselves this question. Is our child getting enough nutrition from what we are feeding them? Be it bottle or breast. Is our child happy and contented? Are we doing the best we can do? Why do we care so much about what another woman does or does not do? Our feelings on that are a reflection on ourselves and no one else!

Why must there be a childfree ‘zone’ be it a restaurant or shopping complex or on areoplanes? It is not always because childless people are evil childhaters. Sometimes, quite often in fact, is it not that many parents seem to think that their child should be able to run freely and do what ever they like? Have we as parents honestly become so delusional that we think everyone finds our children as adorable and precious as we think them to be? That our children deserve to run rampant through a public space because we either want them to have some fun or just want a couple of minutes break from the hard task of parenting?

Have we become so stupid to assume that a child in a public space, or any place, is going to sit still and shut up just because we have a headache, got fifteen minutes out of the office want to do our shopping and have something to eat? Do we honestly think we can disapprove of a parent who dares discipline their child, but expect that children to be well behaved and not be oblivious to the fact that other people should be left in peace.

Must we make people feel bad for their choices? Must we ALLOW others to make us feel inadequate?

Rant over. I hope it makes sense