If you haven’t seen the Time Magazine cover yet, you’ve probably been on a remote desert island, with your head in the sand, in a cave, where you never see the light of day. With one picture, Time Magazine has brought print media back in the public eye, after years of dwindling readership and lackluster subscription. But who is the butt of this joke?
The article, which I won’t go into, regards attachment parenting, where extended breastfeeding is more common than among other “sects” of moms. There are qualities of attachment parenting that I completely embrace, and my own children benefitted from co-sleeping and some of the other tenets subscribed to by parents who practice this type of parenting.
But I feel bashed. Am I Mom enough? I feel like this cover – and this article – is telling me that if my three year old was getting milk the old fashioned way (in a cup, with an Oreo), I was somehow failing as a Mom.
Let’s for a moment disregard the fact that I bathed my daughters, dressed them, held their hair back when they puked, wiped hinies on floors of places I was afraid to step on because potty emergencies know no hygiene. I’ve nursed them back to health from ear infections, strep throat, UTI, URI, and a whole slew of other medically disgusting initials. I’ve sewed patches on a girl scout vest, stayed up into the wee hours of the morning to put finishing touches on a poster or a diorama, attended school plays, sat through dance recitals where my kid was the last class dancing, and driven hours to dance competitions.
But.
My oldest daughter was fed exclusively formula for her entire life. My middle daughter was given breastmilk until she was only six months old. My youngest daughter was only about three months old when she switched to formula.
And I feel like this article is trying to make me feel like I’m not Mom enough.
Well, damn. I’m not sure I feel compelled to buy Time Magazine. Now or later.
