TIME cover showing a mummy breastfeeding her going 4-year- old son

 

Latest TIME magazine cover shows a young mother and her going 4-year-old son, who stands on the chair, latching onto her breast.

Although I avocate breastfeeding and I respect her perseverance in providing breastmilk to her children, I am not so sure about this cover photo.
The topic about extended breast-feeding is itself a debate. What more showcasing of such photos. Obviously they are trying to strike a controversal debate amongst parents.


So what is the attachment parenting that prompted the mummy to breastfeed her sons this long?
This is what I understand:

Attachment parenting is a parenting philosophy that aims to nurture joyful, secured and emphatic children. In order to do so, parents and children need to build up a very strong connection and bond.

'Demand feeding' is one of the principles of attachment parenting. Feed the infant when he requests for it, stop when he rejects it. Bring the breast to the child once he cry or better still before he cries. As such, the mother and infant build up a strong bond during feeding. Infant also receives the security he needs when suckling and knowing that mummy is always there for him. Extended breastfeeding is therefore encouraged since is the a good bonding time. Even during weaning, parents are required to go through weaning process GENTLELY.

Some other methods and principles includes co-sleeping with child,constantly providing nuturing touch (carry, cuddle, hug child whenever requested) and positive discipline.


With all my previous blog posts about sleep training and child discipline, it is pretty obvious that I don't practice attachment parenting. I understand and respect their ultimate aim to nuture happy, kind and gentle kids. I just disagree with the method.

I believe spare the rod spoils the child. While I was never beaten by my parents, they were strict in their teachings an principles. I could seat and cry in the middle of a busy shopping mall and my mum would walk off without turning back. I just had to learn my lesson and follow behind.

Back to the topic on extending breastfeeding. That in the first place is not how a mother latches on the child.(-.-)"

Another picture in the article

This is closer, but not quite.

Regardless, breastfeeding a child who has started having long-term memory seems to be something that many mummies would shy away.

I am still feeding my 16-month-old son. I will still continue to breastfeed him. Will I continue after the age of 2? I am not sure. What I am certain is, nutritionally breast milk is what's best for my son. I will therefore provide what's best.

When he grows older, I may still provide him milk but technology had given me an option to express out and feed him using bottle.

What are your thoughts?

Love,
Mama Kaye

Son says to Dad, "What you DO speaks so loudly, I cannot hear what you say"

When this quote came to my mind, I thought to myself. Darn... What if my son says that to me one day?  How terribly that would be?

I certainly will not teach him bad things while doing all the good. 

All of us know what to teach our children be it the moral values, good ethics and manners. Of course we know the goods and bads but how are we teaching them to our children? We may just be saying one and doing another.

Remember this. Children learn by following not by listening.

The "What you DO speaks so loudly, I cannot hear what you say" will haunt you if you do not practice what you preach.

Scenario 1: Table Manners
It's dinner time and Dad hang on to his phone started checking on Facebook while mum is trying to coax the daughter to finish up the food. Daughter stands up, grab her phone and starts playing her games. Mummy got angry and scolded the daughter for walking off without finishing her food and not washing her dishes.

Daughter says," Dad is also on the phone! He didn't wash his dishes either! Why don't you scold him?!"


Scenario 2: Vulgarities
5 year old boy goes to pre school and hauled vulgarities at classmates. The school teacher contacts the Daddy and Mummy. Daddy and Mummy arrive and scold the son for being ill-mannered.

Dad says, "How can you be so rude? Where did you learn those from?"
Son replies, "From you."

We as parents are the greatest influencers to our children's. Consciously and subconsciously, they watch us daily and mimic all that we do. We should certainly avoid setting bad examples to our children.

Try listing out a few things you want your child to learn and make sure you SHOW them how they can do it.

So what are some characteristics I want my son to have?
These are just 1 simple example I can think of. I am certain no parents want their children to disrespect them. 

1. Respect/Honor our parents
What are somethings I can do to teach my son that Mama respects the people around me?
- Dad and Mum greet Grandma whenever they see her.
- Dad and Mum speak with Grandma with politeness, never raise their voices at her.
- Dad and Mum cares for Grandma especially when she is unwell.
- Dad and Mum visits Grandma regularly.

Let's work towards being a good role model to our children. There is no time to loose because their little eyes pick up little things very fast.

Love,
Mama Kaye

Family Outing @ the Changi Airport

Mama Kaye had a lovely Saturday!

Alphonse and I brought Elric for an outing at the Changi airport yesterday. Since Mama Kaye has been busy for the last couple of weeks, we decided to take a day off for an excursion.

elric, we r going for an excursion!
Look of the day: old school side parting. hahahahahaha...

We went to Terminal 1 last week with my mum and sisters, and found the airport a great place for Elric. There are lots of space around for him to roam and run about. Furthermore, there are free bus service from Seng Kang to the airport Terminal 3 on an hourly basis.

FREE TRANSPORTATION!!

The best part is that the pick up location is just opposite to my block!
If you stay in Bedok, there are free bus services too!
The bus trip was good. It took merely 20min to reach the Terminal 3.

We got off and went shopping at the B2 area. To my surprise, there is an NTUC Fairprice and other reasonably priced food outlets available. Pretty cool isn't it?
Free transport, short distance and reasonably priced food. *grin*

We also went to the Candy Empire to get Alphonse's favourite 99% Dark Chocolate. It's $5.40 but they absorbed the GST, so it's $5.05.

Just a side track... (i'm in the Food Revolution mood... hohoho...)

(Dark) Chocolate is good! Chocolate is made from plants and contains a great amount of antioxidant. 2 known benefits of dark chocolate are lowering of the blood pressure and the cholesterol.

Just that chocolate itself is bitter. Hence people added in sugar and milk to enhance the taste. It's all the sugar and fats that makes it unhealthy. So if you really like to eat chocolate, try replacing with dark chocolate.It doesn't have to be 99% cause you would probably hate chocolate for the rest of your life. Try the 70%-80% type.

Okiee.. back to the excursion.

We went for dinner at Level 3. We found this restaurant selling Penang cuisine.
It's called the Gurney Drive. 
Alphonse LOVESSSSS Penang Laksa, so this was a MUST TRY.

Sorry. No picture of food cause it really didn't come to my mind. :P

I will try to take note of that in the future.

I took a pic of my son though... hahaha...

I took the first item under the Chef Recommendation, the penang prawn noodle.

As I am still recovering from digestive problems, I told the waiter that I wanted a less spicy one. The first impression I has of the noodle was that they were generous in with the soup base. I took my first sip and found that the soup tasted great. Only that I felt it tasted diluted. My conclusion was that, adding extra water was how they made it less spicy.

. . . . . .

Alphonse's penang laksa was good. Worth trying according to him. The only lament he has was that it wasn't spicy enough.

I would think this is a kids friendly restaurant. Spacious enough for your stroller, more than enough baby chairs and they also provide plastic bowls n cutleries for the kids.


It was almost time to catch the free bus home, so we waited at the Level 2 seating area for the bus.

We bought a blue plastic ball for Elric and he had some great fun chasing Alphonse around for the ball!

I must tell you I really wished I had a good quality camera with me to take down the adorable smile on his face.

Anyhow, here are the low quality pictures I took with my phone.
I couldn't capture them very well as they were running around.
haix... sad max

No doubt it was a short 4 hours trip. Alphonse and I had a great time. I am sure Elric did too. :) We shall return to try out other food places too.

Love,
Mama Kaye

It's about Food (Updated)

Having graduated from a Food and Nutrition discipline, I always felt it is a shame for me to not impart my knowledge about food and nutrition to the people around me. I am sure many of my course mates feel the same way.


Food is an essential part of our lives. It's the source of nutrients that will keep our body functioning at it's best. Sadly speaking, most of us are not eating right (that includes me).

Having 2 servings of fruits and vegetable, low salt, low fat and low sugar seems to be diet for the insane, while fried and junk food are heavenly food. Did it come across your mind what impact these food can have on you and your children?

Many parents let their children eat processed food, fast food and JUNK FOOD at a tender age. They have no clue what is really going into the mouth of their child.


Some thinks that nutritional supplements are the answer to the problems. That is surely what the corporations want you to think. Others think that organic food items are the only edible things left on earth. Are these the truth?


Let's think actively for ourselves and for our children and be educated on what we are bringing to our dining table everyday.

Are we bringing them closer to diet related diseases and risk dying earlier than they ought to, or are we allowing them to stay healthy in all parts of their lives?

I would like to share with you a link to this video which I watched.
It's a speech by Jamie Oliver whom I think is a chef with a heart of gold.

Jamie Oliver said something in his presentation that pricked me.
He shared with his audiences that much of our food available are highly processed.Additives and sugar are added into the food products, even milk.

Milk as we know is essential for child growth, it's their main source of Calcium.
However, corporations added in large amount of sugar into each bottle of milk so that more children would like to drink it.

He displayed the amount of sugar the children would be taking in SOLELY FROM MILK if they take 2 bottles a day. Can you imagine how much sugar each child takes in from all the other food?

No wonder so many children are obesed. No wonder so many children are having ADHD!

This coming 19 May 2012 is the Food Revolution Day when people all over the world come together for a cause. A cause to educate the young and old about food.


We in Singapore can also be a part to this.
In fact there will be an event going on at THE LAWN, Biopolis Way

To find out more about Food Revolution Day, visit http://foodrevolutionday.com
For more information about Food Revolution Day Singapore, visit https://www.facebook.com/FoodRevolutionSingapore.

"Your child will live a life ten years younger than you because of the landscape of food that we've built around them.” (Jamie Oliver)