(Self) Righteous, Dude.

So I know you've all seen it. Or at least heard about it. You'd be living under a rock not to have read some of the controversy over this publicity stunt by Time. They're just basking in all their readership and news-buzz glory as people rant and rave about their gripes over this cover.

The only part of this whole publicity stunt that bothers me is how that little boy on the cover has been exploited. When he's 13, he's going to be one angry little man who is shamed by his peers-- if this cover comes back to haunt him. And it will, because the Internet will not let you forget. Something tells me he won't want to have photo proof of being attached to his mother's breast on the cover of one of the most well known magazines in the World. 

To the mom, I say, shame on you. Shame on you for exploiting your child like that. You're hardly any different than pageant moms on those cable television shows where children are dressed in scandalous clothing and made to look like Tammy Faye Bakker (RIP, Tammy).

Honestly, for what purpose other than to push your extreme parenting logic on others? Other than exploiting that poor little boy, I am annoyed with this cover (absolutely will not be reading any articles within) because it speaks to promote self righteous parenting. And forgive me for mistaking that if you have read the article, but the cover alone makes it to look like a beastly argument, right?

Why is it anyone's business (other than a safety issue) how you choose to parent your child? If I want to breastfeed until my child is three, I will. If I want to formula feed, I will. I just don't understand why once a woman has living children to parent that everyone and their mother... and their mother's mother finds the need to criticize or judge one another for their choices. What's it to you? Didn't we all choose to have children because we want to share our lives with them and bring them up to be wonderful, loved individuals? Someone tell me how breastfeeding made your child any better of a citizen than the next person who chose not to or could not? Yes, I breastfeed and I love it. But I would never criticize someone who chose not to because it's none of my stinking business. And in the grand scheme of life (yes, a life we should be just plain thankful to have in our arms), what does it really matter?

I just hope we all remember that the best parents provide for their children in safe and healthy ways. Who's to say one person is better than another because such things have become "popular" in society? I think being a BLM even enrages me more because I've worked so stinking hard to get to the parenting part of life with a living child and then I have to listen to other parents so concerned about exactly how I am choosing to do this or that-- when all I want to do is scream from the rooftops that, OMG, My child is alive! I'm a lot less concerned about strict sleep schedules or whether I've already looked into preschool programs.

There you go, Time. You got the best of me.

But oh. If you smoke around your children or drive erratically, I will totally judge you. Because some women would kill (cats) to have all of our children living with us and you go off risking the lives of the ones who were spared. 

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