Horrified.
Ok, this might not be as bad as Beth Ann's offering-ATM post, but this is reaching an all new low.
Before any of you mommies get on me for being prudish, modest, or un-green, please know that I'm in no way saying that breast feeding is bad or shameful. I have many, many friends who swear by it, and I'm all for it if it works for you. I don't even care if you do it in public. You go, girls.
However, if this was a masterbation/sexual intercourse/period doll (other "natural" behaviors), would you feel the same way?
I think this is too extreme.
I would NOT purchase this for my daughters. Would you?
Hmmmm....what should I say! LOL! You just knew I was going to comment, right?! Hoda and Kathie Lee had this on tv the other day and were just appalled by it. What ticks me off is that more people are appalled by breastfeeding than they are by topless bars or scantily clad women on tv. People have no problems at all buying their daughters Barbies with teeny tiny clothes on or Bratz dolls (we have outlawed Bratz in our house) but a breast feeding doll is inappropriate?
ReplyDeleteI have no problem at all with a breastfeeding doll. I thought it was actually kind of neat. Do I think that it will ever be popular in America? No. Because people in America believe that anything involving breasts at all must mean sex is involved.
It's a sad world when women feel that they must hide in a public restroom to naturally feed their child (I have in the past) but women can walk around with barely a stitch of clothes on and no one bats an eyelash. Breastfeeding moms already feel criticized enough and for these news anchors and talk show hosts to make a huge deal out of this doll does not help matters. Maybe if little girls learn from a young age that breastfeeding is normal and 'okay' they will be more likely to feed their own child that way in the future.
Would I purchase this for my daughters....probably not. My 7 year old has a working knowledge of breastfeeding and realizes that her new baby sister will be fed this way but do I think she needs to feed her own doll this way? No. But I'm not going to condemn a woman if she wants her child to have one.
Off my soapbox now. I'm glad we can have such varied opinions on things and still be sisters in Jesus. :)
Laura, I definitely agree that breast feeding in America is taboo--and the fact that women have to go in bathrooms to hide is ridiculous. I have NO ISSUES with women who do it in public. I remember being asked to leave my Sunday School class when Molly got fussy one time "to give us some privacy" because they thought I was going to whip my boob out right there (and she was a bottle fed baby!)
ReplyDeleteI also have no problems if a child "pretends" to breast feed with doll. I have seen a lot of kids do that with their regular dolls. But I think putting on a special bra with stars for nipples and all is taking it one step further than I would like.
In regards to Barbie and Bratz: We do NOT own a Bratz doll. Molly knows to not even ASK me about them. We have Barbies, but they are not quite as bad. We avoid the stripper outfits in most cases--usually sticking with the princesses. In fact, when my kids have shirtless Barbies they are called "boys." You ought to ask Tyler about that sometime! haha
No, I am curious about what other mommies think about this toy. I just think it is over the top. And I"m ok if we disagree--it's what makes the blogging world a little more interesting! :)
i'll have to say this caught me off guard. don't think i'd buy it because it seems like a "cheap, i'm gonna get tired of this quick" toy.
ReplyDeletepeople by dolls for little girls all the time that come with bottles. I don't see a problem with that. But, this seems a little strange. You have to put on your "boobs" to make it work?! As a "real" person you don't have to go out and buy a special part (in most cases...i know their are shields and other accessories that some need). The parts are already there. Why not just give a little girl a regular doll and if she wants to pretend to nurse, so be it.
i think, if we want our kids to be exposed to breastfeeding, that we should talk to them and explain it...even show them if they are curious. i don't think this doll would be necessary.
silas just kinda accepted the fact that savannah gets her milk from mommy. he acts like its no big deal. the other day when he asked what i was doing i told him i was letting savannah eat. "mommy makes milk just for savannah to have because she can't eat real food like we do yet." his reply, "oh yeah, you're like a cow!" Cute!
I DO think it's important to raise breastfeeding awareness in the US and to make it less taboo and more normal. i'm just not sure small children are the place to start.
Hope you don't mind a guy chiming in here.
ReplyDeleteMy problem with the doll is not that the breastfeeding so much as the total message it sends.
From movies like Juno to dolls like this, I think the message going to children is that having a child is fun. And this message comes without the family structure, challenges, or faith that are necessary to raise a healthy family.
And thus it gets right back to parenting. If one of you ladies gave this doll to your children, it would likely also come with the example of how to raise a child in a loving family. But when children receive the doll without the message, the picture it draws for them might be completely different.
Thank God we're having a boy.
Ok,I would not buy this for my girls. Victoria knew that mommy was breastfeeding and that my body made special milk just for her. I think that there are a lot of girls who think having a baby is some glorious life that they long for. It's not that easy, nor is breastfeeding a baby as easy as strapping on some silly bra with stars and holding a baby up to it. This, to me, does not educate the child properly. And most girls playing with dolls don't need to know the minute details or the difficulties, so why open a can of worms?
ReplyDeleteAlso wanted to note that I wouldn't use the word "provocative" but if a girl became attached to such a doll, then boys who were nearby or playmates would then be "drawn to" areas of the body that they don't need to be at that age. Kids should be thinking of other things.
This doll is too extreme for me. Lastly, I agree with Lindsey that it is probably going to be one of those short-lived toys that girls lose interest in quickly.
Time does fly! It's nice to know someone else understands where I'm coming from as far as the church and feeling at home thing. I just want to have a place that was Cam's home for his childhood and he can come home to when he's grown up! Maybe that's cause I moved a lot as a kid, who knows? Let me know how kindergarten goes! Cam starts Wed, but we meet his teacher tomorrow (I think he's a little nervous). And I would not buy that doll for my son (or daughter if we ever have one)!
ReplyDelete