Mayim Bialik Discusses Breastfeeding On TIME Magazine's Attachment Parenting Cover (VIDEO)

Actress Mayim Bialik, author of "Beyond the Sling: A Real-Life Guide to Raising Confident, Loving Children the Attachment Parenting Way," has been part of the attachment parenting discussion since well before TIME's already-infamous Mother's Day cover.

Now, as Bialik's personal parenting philosophy is in the spotlight, she is voicing her opinion on the controversial cover image of Jamie Lynne Grumet breastfeeding her 3-year-old son.

In a CNN interview, Bialik talked about attachment parenting as she understands it -- and explained why she is frustrated by TIME's "sensationalized" portrayal of fellow attachment parenting devotees.

"Just to clarify: attachment parenting takes no stance on how long you should breastfeed. The notion is to educate people about breastfeeding," she told CNN's Suzanne Malveaux.

"I breastfeed my 3-year-old because he's not done breastfeeding, and I'm not ready to tell him not to. ... [I]t is still a tremendous source of discipline, and of bonding, that occurs between a mother and a child."

Although Bialik posted a picture of herself breastfeeding 3-year-old son Fred on the subway last fall, the actress notes that she no longer breastfeeds Fred in public.

Bialik added that she fears the TIME cover will give outsiders the misguided sense that all people who subscribe to attachment parenting think of themselves as superior.

"That's why I wrote 'Beyond the Sling.' ... [This is] the way mammals and primates parent, period."

Bialik also told Access Hollywood: "When I saw the cover, I thought that that's not the image of attachment parenting that I think anyone in attachment parenting would like to have used."

From our partners

• Mother's Day Starts Out Great And Then ... - NickMom
• I'm Not Doing Squat For My Son's Birthday - Mommyish
• 5 Ways To Nurture Little Yogis - LilSugar

Comments

[Schuyler V Johnson]

11:45 PM on 11/21/2012

Anyone nursing after the age of two is disturbed. There is no viable reason to nurse a child older than that unless the mother has serious issues, in which case she needs to seek counseling. Only woman who are mentally ill, bored or want to get a sick thrill by being naughty would do this. And women who nurse in public better cover up or they're exhibitionists.

[Betsy Bradley]

01:47 PM on 05/17/2012

Great job Mayim - I'd also like to point out that the World Health Organization advocates for breastfeeding until age two and beyond, and in most other countries of the world the average weaning agel is 4 or 5.

[Sand Smith]

04:13 AM on 05/17/2012

Breast-feeding and attachment parenting is not right for American Moms. It's only for poor countries. For example, Chinese peasants were so poor that they only have one bed for the entire family to sleep on. Moms have no choice but to carry children on their back with a sling, because they have to farm and cook all day long. For her hungry child, her choice is to offer him her blood or her breast milk. Whether the child is 1 or 7 years old, breast feeding for them is as sexual as an oxygen mask that the medic shoves on your face. If she can’t breast feed the child, he dies. That simple.

We Americans have far better ways to raise our kids. We don’t need breast milk. We have pink slime meat, arsenic/BPA baby food, and hormone animal milk. We don’t need to worry raising our kids IQ with breast milk. Harvard already recruits students directly from China, and India already powers our tech industry. Let them have all the IQ's. They can never compete with the sexy breasts in see-through dresses we put on the cover of Cosmopolitan and our family-rated TV. We are smart enough to use our breasts just for sex and nothing else. Besides us, do you know that panda mothers also refuse to breast-feed their children? That's why so few are left in the world. Is that so bad?

[COURTNEYMARET]

02:50 PM on 05/17/2012

LOVE this!!!!!

[hrogoff]

07:30 PM on 05/17/2012

Right on!!!!

[Michelle Hamood Podnar]

06:21 PM on 05/16/2012

I love this interview. I have practiced attachment parenting with all three of my kids, with co-sleeping, extended breastfeeding, postivie parenting etc. I feel that this has been the best way for our family. It is nice to see someone (celebrity) outwardly defend it.

[hrogoff]

02:20 PM on 05/16/2012

Earl, you have no idea what you are talking about.

[jgb113]

12:45 PM on 05/16/2012

Dear Suzanne.. It is called Attachment Parenting.

[Earl Moon]

06:56 AM on 05/16/2012

I believe that breast feeding forever it just an excuse for young women to not gain weight, or do the laundry, or cook etc. Their children will be forever 3 years old mentally. Being a good Mommy is teaching and learning skills for becoming a well rounded person with compassion, not being just a breeding cow.

[COURTNEYMARET]

02:38 PM on 05/16/2012

So you're saying that all of the advancements the human race was responsible for prior to the very recent thinking that nursing beyond age one is bizarre was made by people with the mental capacity of a three year old? Wow, buddy. Nursing until age 4,5,6 and even sometimes as old as 7 is well documented throughout history and has only become 'bizarre' in recent years. Gasp! How on earth did we get to where we are? We'd all nursed until biologically ready to wean (which is about age 6). You should learn how the human body is designed to function because you've clearly a messed up view of it, and of mothers who parent in a way that is very natural and normal. Perhaps if you were nursed, or nursed longer, you'd have a more positive view of women and understand them better.

[hrogoff]

07:28 PM on 05/17/2012

Nice!

[wpnwilo2]

08:42 PM on 02/21/2013

Nursing for years after birth was, and still is, not a biological necessity. If it were, the maturation of our digestive system would begin much later than it does. It is no coincidence that teeth erupt around the time a mother could be giving birth to a sibling, who would be competition for resources. Historically, breastfeeding duration has been influenced more by cultural beliefs/social mores and economics than biological necessity.

[Conuly]

03:59 PM on 05/16/2012

You believe this based on what evidence, exactly?

[COURTNEYMARET]

02:56 PM on 05/17/2012

Since there's a character limit let me sum up by saying a good education. You can start, if you'd like to prove this to yourself (since posting each and every link will be time consuming and require multiple replies), with the Annette & Irwin Eskind Biomedical Library, PubMed, and KellyMom dot com. There you'll find resources and studies to back this up and about 175 links when you search appropriately. I think common sense is all you'd need with this one but I tend to overestimate others, apparently.

[jsalinas011]

05:39 AM on 05/16/2012

I was breastfed until I was 4 years old (at which point my mom stopped only because she found out she was once again pregnant), and I can honestly say, to date, I have seen no negative effects. I am now 23, have very little health problems, no attachment issues (that I am aware of), have graduated from Stanford University (so I believe I have shown no adverse learning issues), etc. I'm not trying to say breastfeeding for 4 years is better; however, I am trying to point out that I do not see an issue with it. I believe that it is more of a social issue- society doesn't think it "looks" right, therefore, it isn't right. That is faulty logic and is an unsubstantiated conclusion. Until negative scientific and/or psychological effects can be linked to breastfeeding, this seems to be a simple parenting decisions, which should be left up to the.. parents.

[eve mahar]

05:29 AM on 05/16/2012

I really liked what (and how) she had to say on this issue. I find it amusing that the Time magazine cover and story upsets so many people. The ignorant, immature comments!

Taking what is something so natural and beautiful, and turning it into something so ugly. It really makes one wonder about people.

[jld1973]

11:59 PM on 05/15/2012

I am totally NOT mom enough to feed my child breast milk when he is totally able to eat a nutritious meal sans boob.

[WWJJD]

12:08 AM on 05/16/2012

Give it a rest. If you don't want to breast feed your child then don't.

[BigWillyG]

11:48 PM on 05/15/2012

I wonder what Sheldon's views are on this?

[Seeker718]

01:41 AM on 06/11/2012

LOL! I don't think Sheldon is an expert on human nurturing -- or human relationships in general. I'm sure he has his own "expert" opinion though. I'd love to see the writers take this one on.

[gstering]

11:28 PM on 05/15/2012

I had to stop breastfeeding when my daughter was 6 months old but I wish I could have breastfeed longer. I don't think the photo was disgusting or offensive, I actually thought it was nice. This was a proud mom looking very strong. What's wrong with that. And yes the kid is older than a lot of U.S. kids that breastfeed, but that doesn't make it wrong. I think what upsets people is the in your face public image of breastfeeding, I think that reaction says more about the people who see it as negative than anything else.

[RitesforGirls]

06:34 PM on 05/15/2012

The reaction to Time's cover is exactly why those of us who choose to long-term breastfeed do so discretely, especially after aged two or three, and especially our boys. Our society is so unused to seeing chlldren nursing that many are repelled by it. Although a common and acceptable sight in other places around the world, in the west we keep it hidden from public view - and so most people remain unaware of how many chlldren nurse long-term. Generally we boast of a child's independence and have become ashamed of signs of dependency - and so the fact that many children like to nurse, or have a bottle, or creep into the parental bed at night is hidden. Now Time has presented us with a startling image for all to see. And debate. Time magazine has provided a great platform for those of us who wish to respond to their article to reach a much wider audience than would ususally be interested. http://ritesforgirls.com/having-kids-huge-responsibility/

[ghost7]

07:11 PM on 05/15/2012

"...Although a common and acceptable sight in other places around the world, in the west we keep it hidden from public view..."

? I've lived and worked in the Middle-East and Asia, never saw 5 year olds breast-feeding in public.

[Conuly]

10:24 PM on 05/15/2012

The kid in the picture isn't 5.

[Modernmama]

06:34 AM on 05/16/2012

Have you been to India? Mongolia?

[COURTNEYMARET]

02:47 PM on 05/16/2012

I wholeheartedly agree! Women here see their breasts as belonging to men. They don't see them for what they truly are and have no clue how a child and mother are designed by God to operate. Because women fear the negative, and sometimes vile, comments that come from putting it out there (just look at how this poor woman is being trashed) they hide 'extended' nursing, co-sleeping, etc. Meanwhile, study after study shows it's the best way to parent, millions of years and people that came before us show us it does no harm. In fact, people today are so screwed up it makes you see how much we've lost by losing nature's way of raising young and of dealing with the planet and others around us. Like you, I see it's much more accepted in other parts of the world. The US is laughed at for our backward views when it comes to nudity and nursing, our huge egos, and the prolonged adolescence we have in adults in this country. We do many things right here but raising and education children, and how women see themselves, needs work. We still have a way to go.

[bassasaurusrex]

05:45 PM on 05/15/2012

Using 'but monkeys do it' is a pretty weak argument. Apes also commit infanticide at a shocking rate to get mothers into breeding cycles quicker as well. Should I start snapping the necks of babies who have hot moms I wish to breed with because other primates do that as well?
I dunno. This all seems like a big case of mothers who don't want/can't let go of their child's infancy. I was playing baseball and soccer by the time I was 3 and on a swim team. I'm pretty sure I was beyond needing to suckle my mom. I could eat solids just fine.

[Conuly]

10:26 PM on 05/15/2012

"Apes also commit infanticide at a shocking rate to get mothers into breeding cycles quicker as well."

Funnily enough, humans seem to as well. One risk factor for child abuse is having a stepfather. (Which does NOT mean all men married to or dating women with children from a previous relationship are child abusers and murderers. Most aren't! But the odds of being murdered by a stepfather are greater than the odds of being murdered by another family member.)

[Savanah Fahrney-Day]

11:54 PM on 05/15/2012

In previous centuries, stepfathers would employ a wetnurse and remove them to the nursery...

At 28-months, my twins are very independent and active. They eat 3 meals & 2 snacks a day, nurse when they wake up (if they ask to) and nurse before bed (if they want to)....Its not just about nutrition, although that is still a valuable factor. Nursing provides immunity and comfort.

[Conuly]

12:22 AM on 05/16/2012

Not just stepfathers. No, the reality of parenting is that, historically speaking, anybody who could afford to pay other people to raise their kids (at least the stinky and boring parts) *absolutely did that*.

That included wetnurses.

[CraigVale]

04:19 PM on 05/15/2012

To me it just indicates a lazy mother not unlike the mother several years back who was featured in a similar situation but her son was 11 freakin' years old. I believe there is something wrong with mothers who do this then claim some weird " attachment or bonding" theory. It's just whack !

[WWJJD]

05:19 PM on 05/15/2012

What is lazy about breastfeeding? Can you site a source for the Mother nursing her 11 year old son?

[CraigVale]

05:37 PM on 05/15/2012

Cook, open some Gerber jar of peas and carrots. There is something wrong upstairs with the mother who continues this practice. Seems to be a case of the mother not wanting to let go ! See an analyst !

[Conuly]

10:27 PM on 05/15/2012

The average age of weaning worldwide - a number that takes into account those children who are NEVER breastfed! - is four years old.

That's not "lazy", that's *normal*.

Of course, mothers are entitled to a little laziness.

[CraigVale]

07:40 AM on 05/16/2012

Where did you get that number from, a mens magazine?