Boobies on Parade

Lying in bed this morning I was chatting with Abe & we were talking about Baby.  Not a big surprise since right now that’s the biggest thing going on with us.  Baby Fred was busy showing off & making known how strong s/he is. Of course I got to thinking about what it’ll be like after Baby Fred is born & we go about our lives.  For some reason the idea of going out to eat & needing to nurse popped into my head.  Now I don’t have a problem with women breastfeeding in public…I was breastfed as were all my siblings.  I’ve seen tons of women do it in every type of public space.  It’s a very natural & ordinary event to me.  Now here comes the but…. I think there are women who abuse the idea of breastfeeding.  They whip out the tit & parade it around for the world to see while touting their “right” to nurse their child.  Hey you have every right to nurse….you do NOT have the right to wave your milk-laden udder in the faces of every person within the line of sight & then complain when a) they stare or b) they ask y0u to cover up a bit.  Seriously if you think popping out a boob in the middle of a restaurant isn’t going to attract some looks you’re out of your ever-loving mind.  I’m not saying you have to slink away into a dark corner & hide under a giant tented blanket.  I do think that a bit of propriety, some semblance of modesty, is in good taste. Where did all this ranty-ness come from you ask… well quite simply from this news story.  It all started on Easter Sunday when this woman nursed her child in a busy restaurant.  I’ll let you read the story rather than rehash it here.  Basics are she & her family were asked to leave.  She claims it was because of the breastfeeding…the restaurant claims it was because her male companion was loud & verbally abusive to employees. Now I’ve eaten in the restaurant in question.  In fact I’ve been there with my sister-in-law Anne, her 2 kids & her husband.  At the time the youngest E was nursing.  He got fussy & needed to be fed before we left.  So Anne (who is far more modest than I) proceeded to breastfeed right there in our booth.  No fanfare, no big production & no controversy.  She simply took care of business & that was that.  In fact we’ve been in restaurants all over the place where E needed to eat & there was never a problem.  Nobody got offended, pitched a hissy fit or asked us to leave. Why?  It’s very simple.  Anne simply didn’t feel the need to flip her shirt up to her chin, expose her entire breast & create a scene where she drew attention to the moment.  Granted there were people that noticed.  I know that employees of the various establishments saw, in fact many times a waiter/waitress would come by the table to see if we needed more service or to deliver the bill. Basically I don’t see a reason why there has to be such a brouhaha about the whole issue.  Women have breasts, women with infants tend to breastfeed.  Get over your feminist inclinations to force everyone to recognize your “wymynpower”.  Just take care of your kid, keep yourself modest (I’m not talking burqas here, but maybe a receiving blanket or a burp cloth) & get on with life.  I can guarantee you there are a damn sight more important things than your boobs that need attention in today’s society.  If you really need to put your boobies on parade head on down to Mardi Gras.