Maybe Alicia Silverstone is a parenting role model after all. The Clueless star certainly had the Internet in an uproar earlier this week about her bizarre baby bird-style feeding method of her little boy. But she braved the paparazzi anyway and walked out head held high with little Bear Blu in his sling this week, breastfeeding the 11-month-old right out in public.
You go girl! I stand by my critique of pre-chewing her son's food, but darn it if I don't respect her a little more for this move. And not just because the slam at public breastfeeding that the Superficial paired with its reveal of Silverstone's other favorite feeding practice is absolutely ridiculous.
The site, which is known for gossip not parenting advice, smacked Alicia as "one of those weird bonding moms who does whatever earthy fad she reads about at Whole Foods like rubbing starfishes on you and your child’s faces to transfer emotions or some equally dumb shit."
Ah, yes, because allowing a child to drink the milk that nature has created specifically for them is a "fad." I sucked the big one at breastfeeding despite my valiant (and heartwrenching) attempts to make it work, but I'm nothing if not a fan of the movement to make sure moms know this is not a trend. It's a scientifically proven method that's actually stood the test of time (in direct opposition, actually, to pre-chewing your child's food, which technology has improved on with knives and food processors, and which medical experts tell you is dangerous and unhealthy).
It's responses like the Superficial's that hurt breastfeeding moms, that keep celebrity moms like Silverstone indoors, afraid that they're going to be picked on for doing what's best for their baby. The fact that she said "eh, what the heck, I'm doing it," and walked out there, head held high, baby cuddled close and, yes, having a snack "from her boobs" (god forbid we call them breasts ... gotta make it sound sexier than it is, huh?) makes me respect this mom big time as a role model.
It's not that I agree with everything she does -- far from it. But I respect a mom who believes in her parenting methods and doesn't let anyone else's opinion make her feel like she's "less" of a mom. It's a lesson every new mom could use.
You're going to encounter a lot of people telling you what to do and what not to do, so many conflicting opinions that you could go insane trying to follow it all. But if you just hold your head high and follow your instincts, do what YOU know is right, you're child is going to get a lot better mothering!
How do you handle criticisms of your parenting? What have you changed because of them?
Image via Mark Coggins/Flickr