As an ardent proponent of breastfeeding, I was especially saddened though not surprised by Genevieve S. Kineke's article, "Racks and Ruin" over at Catholic Exchange. Kineke looks at the shift in societal attitudes that continues to take us farther and farther away from a true understanding of our sexuality and our natural roles as fathers and mothers.
Having breastfed all three of my children, I know the parent-child bonding breastfeeding fosters as well as the many health benefits it provides -- for both mother and baby. And despite the fact that I was pretty much the most discreet breastfeeding mom on the planet, I was sometimes treated as though this beautiful and natural thing I was doing for my children was shameful. Once I was ushered into a darkened room, blinds drawn, doors locked so I could feed my infant daughter.
Kineke's article is a sobering reminder of the skewed view many women now have of their own bodies, a view that society pushes on TV, magazine covers, billboards and more. And that warped self-image carries over into how these women view themselves as mothers.
"The sexual revolution has led us down a path of utilitarian nonsense into loneliness, disease and death. Instead of liberating 'the fairer sex' as it promised, it enslaved them to men’s appetites and degraded motherhood and feminine dignity. And those who participated willingly have either come up short – or have bravely tried to acclimate," Kineke writes.She goes on to quote an editor at an Australian parenting magazine who wrote about her own decision not to breastfeed, saying, "But even the convenience and supposed health benefits of breast milk couldn’t induce me to stick my nipple in a bawling baby’s mouth."
The editor actually says a lot more that I didn't feel appropriate to quote here, but you can and should -- especially if you are a woman -- go to the full article HERE. It may be too late to change the attitudes of grown women, but we have to do something to help today's girls grow into a full and healthy understanding of their sexuality and their place in the wonder of God's creation.
