DISCLAIMER: my response below sounds rude and almost like a personal attack. i do not MEAN it as such, so please don't take it that way: I am merely stating my reaction to having read this post.

With all due respect-

How can something so natural and beautiful a thing as a mother feeding her child be seen as something ... disgusting?!?! Is it not in fact the epitome of true Innocence?

It's one thing to feel "uncomfortable" in the sense that you feel it's maybe something that should be patently private, e.g., between mother and child only in the privacy of their own home.

But to feel that it's DISGUSTING?! That is a VERY different thing indeed.

Hm. All joking about breasts aside (geez guys), come on -- that's got to be one of nature's most preciously beautiful things, a mother feeding her baby -- with humans, cows, and just about every other mammal.

Either you're so conservative you live in a Catholic church, or you have become so desensitized by our modern world that you can no longer even recognize some of the inherent beauty provided by the natural world we call Life.

Moreover: as the age-old question continues to be asked, why are you (probably) ok with watching a bloody, violent movie or seeing a violent car accident on the side of the freeway? Why are you (probably) ok with television programs full of sexual innuendo and in some instances graphic detail or reference?

I'm not saying I don't enjoy great action films. I'm not saying I never watch porn or love my photos of Adriana Lima.

But I'm sure as hell not going to enjoy so much of those things that I cannot appreciate what is arguably the most innocent act between two living beings one will ever find on this planet.

Again, my apology if this came off as a personal attack: it was not meant as such, but merely my spontaneous reaction to this thread.

N.B. -- good point! Also, :iagree: i can't stand when people blow their nose at the table. Before you can retaliate with "but it's a thing of nature too!" -- come on. I think there's a very different thing indeed between the beauty of a mother feeding her child and someone blowing nasal mucous -- and hearing it! -- while people are trying to eat: it is not discreet; it is by definition an unclean act (nasal mucous traps bacteria and other impurities and it is the act of discharging that mucous that is being performed); it is loud and at times startling if unexpected; it is (usually) an auditory disruption; shall I go on? And same for sounds protruding from other bodily orifices while at the table. But BREASTFEEDING?!?!?!?! :rolleyes:

:iagree:

Yeah especially if it ends up on a hanky.

LOL...Its so obvious now that Ive been gone wayy too long. Breastfeeding is nothing here...Blanket or not.

I cant tell you how many times I walk out of a nightclub and there a beautiful girl peeing on the side of the street...In Korea, its in broad daylight...anytime, anywhere...BUT, it doesnt preclude me from feeling embarrased. Outback, huh? Wow...

Brilliant!:rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

I do see this quite often, but not usually in restaurants. This year alone, I've seen women nursing in a courtroom, in an airport, and in a park. But woman in question should be exercising some discretion as well. She certainly has a right to nurse her child in public, but she should select a corner booth facing away from traffic.

If she were instead sitting in the middle of the restaurant at a table and simply decided to whip out a boob for junior, it could be a serious distraction for the restaurant patrons. Especially if it is a size DDD boob.:wow:

:iagree: I know how hard it is to get tied down when they are little, so you got to cut people some slack. I don't think doing it in a high end restaurant is acceptable, but Outback is probably OK. Better she take care of business discreetly as opposed to letting the kid holler :bawling: while she stuffs her food down so she can go somewhere else. Now that would get under my skin!

Glad that stage of life is in the past.

Dennis

I don't see a problem. It took you that long to realize what she was doing so she was being descrete. A restaurant is where people eat. Baby was eating in the most natural way possible. What so disgusting? What's not normal?

I think, knowing Michelle as I do, that this is just one of those things that she's 'squeamish' about. Some people lose their appetite when they see things that gross them out, and what's beautiful and natural to MOST of us (Michelle, I think you are in the minority here, not that there's anything WRONG with that;) ), is like staring at roadkill to a few people.

JV

-- merely out of curiosity then ... how? why? I mean it's very easy to explain why seeing roadkill would make you lose your appetite. Or even talking about killing the beast you are eating. Or someone blowing their nose at the table, albeit to a lesser extent perhaps. But I *REALLY* fail to see how breastfeeding can cause someone to become squeamish? I don't mean this question in a condescending way ... Michelle perhaps you could explain the source of your discomfort?

I'm trying to analogize a woman's discomfort towards seeing another breastfeeding to something I, as a 26 your old guy might better understand.

The trouble is ... there *IS* no sound analogy I can think of -- it really is something truly unique in nature!

I will point this out though, although I doubt it has any significance: I have noticed that, in general, girls tend not to drink as much milk as guys do. Perhaps the distinction lies more in the fact that one is made uneasy by seeing something that is produced or in someway directly relates to their own person rather than that which comes from or is related to another person? You can apply that analogy to all bodily functions I suppose....

My point: perhaps more women than men would be "squeamish" at seeing someone breastfeeding while more men than women would be squeamish when seeing a guy get hit between the legs by a ball perhaps? I would say the latter is certainly true in general: you don't (generally) see girls flinch in a movie when a guy gets smashed in the junk, but nearly every guy certainly will.

Just a thought.

Also, I know for a fact my mother always pointed out a breastfeeding mother like it was the cutest thing she'd ever seen.

QUESTION: Michelle, obviously you don't have to answer this admittedly personal question but, out of curiosity, (a) how old are you and (b) were you breastfed and (c) if you have children, did/do you breastfeed them? I am going to venture a guess to "30s," "no," and "no."