The Time magazine cover has caused such a controversy and is still causing people to only talk about the picture. I reserved my comment because I wanted to read the article on “Attachment Parenting” before I just commented on the picture on the front cover. Dr. Sears has always been a favorite of mine, even when I was raising my children. The article that is inside the now infamous front cover was very endearing to me. Dr. Sears was one of the pioneers in helping people choose their parenting style. He helped women learn how to rely on their instincts and listen to their hearts. It can be very difficult to separate yourself emotionally from your children. When society is pulling a mother in a different direction that does not feel natural to her, she is often criticized and then begins to second guess her decisions. Dr. Sears has taught me how to listen to my instincts. I also know that there are many women out there who were validated by reading and practicing what Dr. Sears was writing about. I think by placing this in an arena where public opinion judges women by how they care for their children is demeaning to our motherhood.
Women have the right to choose how to care and feed their children. As long as the child is not being harmed in any way, public opinion should not be encouraged. Professionally and personally, I have seen mothers struggle for years on “the right and wrong way” to raise a child. Is there such a thing as a perfect parent? If so, what is the criteria for being a perfect parent? Attachment Parenting is not a fad. It has been advocated by other famous child development experts, like Dr. Nina Lief. Dr. Leif has written “on the baby’s part, attachment is a feeling that develops over time, with the gradual maturing of the baby’s central nervous system and the growing understanding that there is a reliable person always ready to try to respond to her needs.” That is all we are talking about here. And just like anything else, there are different degrees of parenting. People have to choose what is right for themselves, and for the rest of us to stand in judgement is wrong.
As for the picture on the cover of Time magazine, I feel it is a way of sensationalized a type of parenting and relates little to the article about a kind and gentle pediatrician who brought attachment parenting to the forefront of a new generation. This cover has caused an outpouring of opinion here in the United States. In Europe, there was a different cover put on the magazine because there wouldn’t be such a controversy. In Europe, it is not uncommon to see a three or four-year old child nursing in public. I think we need to encourage people to meet their parenting goals and if it is not the path we have chosen, then step aside and let the next person explore a new dimension.
