Is this happening for the child or for the parent? No parent is perfect, and striving to meet the needs of children can get hazy along the way. Mothers get the wrong idea in their heads, thinking that attachment parenting will create a happy child and in turn, a happy mother. Many argue that extreme breastfeeding is a cry for attention and praise as a mother. Writer for The Daily Telegraph Susie O’Brien’s article “Who does extreme breastfeeding really help: a child or their mum?” speculates Maha Al Musa and her rather public style of parenting. There are parents who post pictures of their children excessively, and there is Al Musa, who frequently shares with the world photos of her six year old breastfeeding. Dr. Keith Ablow of the Fox News Medical team is unabashedly disgusted with Jamie Lynne Grumet and her willingness to showcase her son standing on a chair to reach her nipple as she stands with a hand on her hip, staring seductively into the camera. In his article,“Time magazine cover — forget the breast, what about the boy?”, Ablow claims “This is self-centeredness at its worst, sold as good parenting.” And rightfully so, as Grumet stains her son for life without understanding how affected he will be by her actions.
Breastfeeding past the accepted weaning age becomes a case of having poor boundaries and an unclear idea of lifting children up to their potential. If a mother wants to be involved and feel like she has a purpose in the life of her children, there are other ways to fulfill that need. There is no clear answer to whether the act is narcissistic or nurturing, but psychologists argue that it does no good for a child and is a selfish way for mothers to perpetuate their importance. There is no coincidence of developmental delays in a child blanketed under their attached parent. The popular television show Game of Thrones includes a character who breastfeeds her adolescent son, who is depicted as cognitively under-developed for his age. This portrayal is not an accident. Weaning a child off of breastmilk is done for the same reason as potty training and teaching them to walk and talk. They must learn to be independent beings. As they are breastfed beyond the typical age, they are being deprived of a normal childhood. The psychological repercussions will become evident as a child grows older in an extreme breastfeeding home, causing possible issues with school, peers, future relationships, and self-esteem. All over the world, healthy breastfed babies will grow into damaged breastfed children if the number of mothers choosing extreme breastfeeding continues to increase.
Ablow, Dr. Keith. “Time magazine cover — forget the breast, what about the boy?”. Foxnews.com. 11 May 2012. Web. 2 November 2015. http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/05/11/time-magazine-cover-forget-breast-what-about-boy.html
O’Brien, Susie. “Who does extreme breastfeeding really help: a child or their mum?”. The Daily Telegraph”. 25 May 2015. Web. 2 November 2015. http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/rendezview/who-does-extreme-breastfeeding-really-help-a-child-or-their-mum/story-fnpug1jf-1227368766830
Cannon, Dr. Ellie. “That’s just selfish and wrong: How the image of a mother breastfeed a toddler reignited a health controversy”. The Daily Mail. 19 May 2012. Web. 3 November 2015. http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2146870/Breastfeed-year-old-Thats-just-selfish-wrong.html
National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. “Breastfeeding Report Card, United States/2013. July 2013. http://www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding/pdf/2013breastfeedingreportcard.pdf
“Breastfeeding Controversy: What is Normal? What is Accepted?” WordPress.com. 18 May 2012. https://formingthethread.wordpress.com/2012/05/18/breastfeeding-controversy-whats-normal-whats-accepted/