Are You Mom Enough?

This was the cover of Time magazine last week. It had to be done to evoke strong emotions from people. It has become one of the controversies of last week. My first reaction was disbelief followed quickly by slight disgust. I have no issues with breastfeeding. I think the act is beyond nurturing and natural. My reaction has to do with the child's age. The kid looks 6 but he's actually almost 4. Which by the way, I think its way too old to me. Breastfeeding has been a hot topic for as long as I can remember. I wasn't expecting to see this image on a magazine cover.

I have plans to breastfeed when I have kids. It's WHAT I've always wanted to do. I know, from my own research, that it is healthier for the babies. It's also been proven that breastfed babies are smarter and have better immune systems. I would pump as well as feed from my breasts. I want to have the connection with my kids if I am able to. That's my personal choice. What I'm not a big supporter of is breastfeeding in public. I wouldn't do it. That's why I would pump beforehand.

The reason the Time magazine cover is so shocking and ridiculous to me is the child's age. The kid is almost 4 and he looks 6 easily. I believe if a child is potty trained and can speak full sentences than he/she does not need to be attached to my breast. I will not be breastfeeding a 3 year old. I think, if possible, that I would want to breastfeed my children until they were 18 - 24 months. Anything past that could lead to issues. I would hate for my child to cause a scene behind my breast in public. To each their own but this future Mommie is not for it. That's not the life I want to live.

The magazine cover puts a face and an image to a real issue. I've read stories of women breastfeeding school aged kids. That is a problem for me. It reminds me of the oral fixation stage that Freud made popular. He says that weaning a child too early or too late can lead to problems later on in life. These problems can be overeating, sarcastic oral personality, nail biting, sexual oral fixation and others. As a woman, I don't know why anyone would want to be tied down to breastfeeding a child for 3, 5, or 7 years. That's insane to me! I just don't think that would be feasible. Breastfeeding is the way I plan on going. I just won't stay on that road for years and years.