Remember the "Annie's Mailbox" letter of October 2003? (see bottom of post
for refresher)
Well, they just don't get it - sounds like they got LOTS of letters
criticizing their answer, so since they have the column, they get to reply
in public. Shall we give them the last word, or are more letters in order?
See link for today's letter and response:
http://u.dailynews.com/Stories/0,1413,211257E23524%257E,00.html
DEAR ANNIE: I read the letter from "Denver Aunt,' who attended a baby shower
and was offended that the mother and some of the other guests displayed
their breasts while feeding their babies.
The hungry baby is a guest at the party, too. Its physical comfort is more
important than the psychological hang-ups of some old biddy. Would you cover
your head with a blanket while you ate? Why should I hide when I breast-feed
my baby? It is not shameful. It is natural and healthy. That's the reason we
have breasts. If it makes anybody uncomfortable, they can put a blanket on
their own head.
-- R.B.
DEAR R.B.: We expected to hear from the Militant Mommy Brigade, and we
weren't disappointed. Let's get a few things straight. No one is debating
the importance of breast-feeding or the occasional need to do it in a public
place. We are all in favor of that. The problem is displaying one's breasts
while doing so. Like it or not, in our culture, female breasts serve more
than one function, and exposing them is considered exhibitionism.
There are other natural, even beautiful, functions that we do not do in
public. Hungry babies don't have a preference for dining al fresco. With all
the wonderful tops available for nursing mothers, it is easy to be discreet.
Demonstrating consideration for the sensitivities of others is something
every mother should want to teach her child. Our advice stands.
**********
You can email a response/rebuttal to them at [log in to unmask] or
write to Annie's Mailbox, PO Box 118190, Chicago, IL 60611
Original question was:
"Dear Annie: I recently attended a baby shower for my niece, who had a baby
last month. There were 25 women in attendance, rang ing in age from 6 to 89.
While my niece was in Lamaze classes, she met several ladies, five of whom
attended the shower with their newborns. During the shower, these women all
exposed their breasts and nursed their babies. They didn't bother to use
anything to cover themselves up. When my niece's new baby began to cry, she,
too, nursed him in front of everyone.
Am I being too old-fashioned to think these ladies should cover themselves?
For some of us, it was quite uncomfortable to watch."
Original Response (partial): The
columnists-Kathy Mitchell and Marcy Sugar completely missed the boat with
the response "We're all for nursing babies, but it is rude to make one's
guest uncomfortable...it would have been considerate for these women to
acknowledge that not all the party guests were keen on observing the
process."
Janice Reynolds
proud member of the "Militant Mommy Brigade"
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