Extended Breastfeeding: Is It Healthy? :: Breastfeeding vs. Formula

Is it unusual when the cover of TIME magazine depicts a young child being fed by the breast of his mother? Believe it or not, there are mothers who breastfeed their children up to the age of six. This trend can be classified as attachment parenting. Attachment parenting, as explored by TIME’s Kate Pickert, is a controversial issue that has been the topic of discussion for decades. Thus, whether attachment parenting is acceptable or not has been long debated, and its controversy can lead to some oppositions. Firstly, the cover’s title, â€Å"Are you mom enough?,† which advertises this parenting style, is questionable to working mothers. For instance, what does it even mean to be mom enough? Secondly, a major criticism of this parenting style is that it could lead to dependent and spoiled children. Then, Dr. Bill Sears, an advocate for this style of parenting, suggests to mothers that attachment parenting prevents bullying. Based on these objections, it appears to some people that there are more positive benefits associated with weaning a child off of breastfeeding before they reach a certain age. The cover of TIME magazine uses pathos to invoke acceptance as a child stands clinging on to his mother’s breast, along with the words, â€Å"Are you mom enough?† This assertion can empower some women to do the accepted thing; yet, offend other women, who don’t agree, at the same time. A mother’s primary role is to nurture and guide the growth of her family. The woman, in particular, displays this role in which, â€Å"her charge [is] to oversee her child’s physical, intellectual, and spiritual development† (Plant 2010). However, there are many ways to manage a child’s well-being, aside from breastfeeding up to the age of six. Therefore, the cover can imply that mothers. who don’t practice attachment parenting, are not woman enough. Moreover, it doesn’t necessarily make a mother a bad parent if she doesn’t attend to her child’s every cry, sleep beside him at night, or breastfeed him throughout his entire adol escence. The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends that infants should be exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life. Afterwards, their studies suggest that the child â€Å"should receive complementary foods that are nutritionally adequate (providing sufficient calories, protein as well as micronutrients needed for proper growth) and safe while continuing to breastfeed for up to 2 years or more† (Children’s Health). Based on their study, there is a positive correlation between weaning a child completely off of his mom by two and his level of independence into toddlerhood.