Breastfeeding in the News

In the news last night there was a segment about a woman who was breastfeeding her son in the grocery store and a store employee asked her to cover up or go to a more private area of the store because her breastfeeding uncovered was making the other customers uncomfortable. Apparently this request was extremely offensive to this woman.

Really? That is offensive?

I am a nursing mother, and I appreciate that my state makes it legal to breastfeed in public, even uncovered. But to me, this is a modesty and courtesy issue. I do not think the benefits of breastfeeding make exposing your breast modest. A breast that can produce nourishment for a child is still a private body part and should be kept private.

Also, isn't it common courtesy to change your behavior when you learn that behavior makes others uncomfortable? I think it is. And in this instance no one asked her to stop breastfeeding or to leave the store; they simply asked her to breastfeed more privately.

Dogs, Caves, and Horses

We've had some fun adventures in the last couple weeks. First, we went up to Idaho for Chad's mission president's homecoming—which was lovely—and while we were in the area we stopped to visit my grandmother. We had a nice visit with her, and while we were at her house, my uncle pops in and insists that Charlie "ride" his two-year-old great dane named Tank. A very appropriate name. The dog is huge.

So we give it a try, and Charlie is totally cool about the whole thing. He acts like it's no big deal. Tank on the other hand was pretty reluctant. After that, I help Charlie stand in the grass, and my uncle's little-bitty yet fat, one-eyed chihuahua (also named Charlie) approaches and softly puts his paw on Charlie's chest.

Charlie freaked out.

Apparently giant dogs that could swallow Charlie whole are totally ok, while tiny dogs that could barely eat Charlie's toes whole are terrifying. I do not understand. My baby is a weirdo.

A few days after our Idaho adventure, we went to visit my newly-married sister and her husband who have settled down in a small town nearish Park City, Utah. They took us to see Cache Cave (a popular spot along the Mormon Trail) and to do some horseback riding. The cave was really interesting; the pioneers who stopped there on their way to the Salt Lake Valley carved their names into the rock wall, and dozens of names are still easily legible. However, I was sad to see that some modern visitors had vandalized the cave by adding their own carvings.

The horseback riding was also a lot of fun—despite a sore tush for a couple days after. My brother-in-law's family owns the horses we rode, and we were able to just wander around his family's sheep ranch enjoying the beautiful day. I also got to see some lambs. Baby animals are always so cute—no matter what species.