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Add Breastfeeding to G2SS?


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Was this handled well?  No, not at all.  Does this mother have a right to do what she did?  Absolutely.  However, I would argue that just because you can do something "legally," doesn't mean you should.  Really I don't see this issue as a question of decency, but rather courtesy.

 

For example... there is no law against feeding a toddler in a high chair in public, correct?  So would it be okay for me to drag a high chair to the Scout meeting, set it up in the back of the room, strap in a toddler, and "Open the hanger, here comes the plane!"??  I think we would all agree that this could be disruptive to a Scout meeting, church service, etc.  I think we would all agree that if someone tried to do this, we would ask them to stop.

 

I wasn't there, and I don't know the circumstances, but there are many people who go out of their way to create situations in which they can feel offended or shamed... and then they take it to facebook or the news.  Plenty of parents lack any sense of courtesy.  If I was in a Scout meeting, church, a graduation ceremony, etc... and my infant needed to eat, either my wife or I would leave the room and feed them.  Why?  Because hungry kids cry, and crying is loud and disruptive.  Likewise, when my kids were older and threw tantrums in restaurants, we left and took them to the car.  I missed more then one meal doing this, but my kids learned that if they didn't stop the tantrum they would be removed from the situation, and eventually it only took a warning to stop the bad behavior.

 

I don't know... maybe this baby is the quietest baby on the earth, and doesn't cry even when mom switches from right to left, but in my opinion certain breastfeeding advocates want to have it both ways.  They don't want to breastfeed in a bathroom (and I can see why not, who wants to eat there?), but at the same time they want to turn every other room on earth into the nursery/dining room/whatever you want to call it.  Just as a bathroom isn't an appropriate place to serve a meal, perhaps a Scout meeting isn't either? 

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Hmmmm..... 

 

Mom and baby in the back of the room.

 

SM up front addressing the boys.

 

Scouts all (99%) facing SM, don't notice a thing.

 

About the only person who would even notice the mom nursing would be the SM.  Who did and made a stink.  Totally inappropriate on the part of the SM. 

 

Sorry, I still side with the Mom.  She didn't make an issue of any of this and most people would have never known had not the SM overstepped the Scout Law and Motto.

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We recently had a family campout and there was a new baby. As I was walking around talking to the families, I noticed a mom feeding her baby. I just kept walking and didn't make a big deal about it. No one said anything, no one had any issues, and it didn't cause a major problem like this. The SM should have let it go. I really do not understand why people make a big deal about feeding a baby. I side with the mom as well.

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See, to me a family campout would be a totally different thing.  No problem with it there.  Wouldn't expect the mom to go in a tent, to her car, etc.  On a campout, people are eating at the picnic table, in their camp chairs, etc.  People are noisy, so if the kid cries, no big deal.  I don't think that is discourteous.  However, I don't think a Scout meeting is the time or place to be feeding your children, regardless of their age.

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It would seem to me that this "compromise" between the unit and this scout mom puts the onus on the mother.  She is within her legal right to breastfeed wherever she wants and BSA from SM on up want her to give up her rights for the sensitivities of others.  There is nothing in BSA policies anywhere that states the BSA expects anyone to forego their rights for any reason.  This is the ultimate PCism at it's worst. 

 

I have never been a fan of PCism and every day that passes sets me further from ever supporting any of their distorted agendas.  The SM is a BSA backed personal zero-tolerant no legal basis bigot towards nursing infants and their mothers.  Spin it any way one wishes, it still comes out the same.

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Some religions have more strict modesty rules than others.  Mothers have rights, but churches have rights too.  

 

My church has a very nice area for nursing mothers,  very nicely furnished and decorated.  Much more comfortable than a pew in the church or a folding chair in the hall.

Edited by David CO
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I have not seen any mention of the CO's position.

 

I could see the BSA proposing this as an "amicable solution" , soon to be available at your local scout store for $24.95. In 5 years remove the rubber nipple and use as a neckerchief slide. :laugh:

I remember Nestle corporation formulated a "solution" years ago. It's fallen out of favor. ;)
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I remember Nestle corporation formulated a "solution" years ago. It's fallen out of favor. ;)

Even before that and long before he turned his first water into wine, rumor has it JC himself turned donkey urine into Simulac. :)

 

A quick Google search on the subject will reveal long before the crucifix became the primary symbol of Gods love to his creations the image of Mary nursing her baby was used but fell out of favor 17th centuryish. I don't quote bible verses but the same search will reveal many, many references to breastfeeding even in church.

 

Some religions have more strict modesty rules than others. Mothers have rights, but churches have rights too.

 

My church has a very nice area for nursing mothers, very nicely furnished and decorated. Much more comfortable than a pew in the church or a folding chair in the hall.

Revent is sometimes the most difficult point of the Scout Law to follow. I will pray for your church.

 

Just as a bathroom isn't an appropriate place to serve a meal, perhaps a Scout meeting isn't either?

 

I should bring that the SMs attention next time he or someone else brings a snack to the meeting.

 

As far as a baby fussing for the few seconds while the mother switches sides the Courteous thing to do if one is speaking is to pause briefly, smile and then move one.

Edited by King Ding Dong
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