Okay, Time Magazine. You got us. You made us look. You got us talking. You outraged my Attachment Parenting friends with your photo ("So divisive!"). And you outraged me with that headline, "Are You MOM ENOUGH?"
Ugh, Mom wars again? We're still recovering from that Ann Romney Mommygate! Why open fresh woulds?
But then I sat down and actually read the article.
Surprise, surprise, it's a level-headed, balanced look at Attachment Parenting in America.
The article starts with legendary pediatrician and author Dr. Bill Sears. (AP practitioners know Sears didn't "invent" AP, but the Time article starts with him.). We learn about Sears' background, where he got his ideas, and how parents have interpreted his ideas since.
Did I say parents? I should say mothers. The article focuses mostly on moms because we're the ones who obsess over this stuff. For the dads there's a short piece called "The Detached Dad's Manifesto." (Main idea: don't worry, be happy, no guilt.) It made me snort out loud. Please. This has been THE dad philosophy since forever.
But back to the article. It's way less inflammatory than the headline would lead you to believe, although I disagree with the statement that AP is "more about parental devotion and sacrifice than about raising self-sufficient kids." Wrong -- the whole point is to create self-sufficient kids through AP. You could quibble over a few other points but overall it's not about pitting moms against each other.
Would anyone BUT AP parents have picked up this issue if it weren't for that provocative cover? When I think about it that way, I can't blame Time. They're in the business of selling magazines. They're not a nonprofit. So well played, Time, well played.
Have you actually read the article yet? What did you think?
Image via Time
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Comments 19
That photo is just wrong. I don't care is she breastfeeds until he's 20, that picture just looks like kid porn to me.
aren't we being a little too immature we're acting like if it's something aout of the world grow up people
I think, thestir has posted about 3 articles about this in a 48 hour period, and it's annoying, first you post it asking what people think about it, then you post it shaming AP parents and pretty much calling us failures in what was the most pathetic, onesided, terrible written article.. Now you post this.
Make up your damn mind, and move on.
I think this is ANNOYING!
The kid is way too old to BF, but who cares? He isn't my kid, and it isn't my say.
I was just wondering if you guys read what each other write? Yesterday WE were showed 4 of these posts telling us "how wrong" or "what did we think" of this photo and article. Now today, so far, there are 3 posts telling us how wrong WE were for thinking the worst! What?? You guys put them here. You are the ones sensationalizing this story. We'd only have read about it once or twice otherwise. Man, you really should plan out what you want to write about each day or week. OR be the first to write about it. When you're coming in at the tale end, it's very old already.