There is a new family in town. The only reason I know of them is because I see their minivan dropping kids off at school each morning, and there used to be an out-of-state license plate on it. They have a bumper sticker on their car which has baffled me since the first day of school. It reads:
It’s Mean to Wean
Ok, let’s break this down a bit. It’s mean to wean. I can think of several things this could mean, but going by the other bumper stickers on the car, I’m going with the obvious meaning – breastfeeding.
So if it’s mean to wean a child off breastfeeding, let’s review what options are available:
Never Wean Your Kids From Breastfeeding
I’ve actually done some research on the web about this particular bumper sticker saying. Apparently the idea behind it is to let the child decide when they are ready to be done rather than the mother deciding. Heck, no wonder it takes you so long to drop off your kids. Apparently you’re letting your 4th grader finish up “breakfast” right there in the van. YUCK. And is your husband still stopping over at your mother-in-laws for his mid-day snack? DOUBLE YUCK
Never Start Your Kids Breastfeeding
Ok, but you’d have to give them a bottle then, and wouldn’t you have to wean them from that? I mean, it would look silly for a middle school kid to be pulling out a bottle of formula out of his lunch box. Or does this really mean that you just start out with a Happy Meal the day your child is born? “Oh, isn’t our new baby sweet, honey? Now run your ass down to McDonalds before he gets hungry.”
I found a website where you can buy these bumper stickers along with several other sayings that I find quite humorous:
“Keep Breastfeeding. Don’t be a weaner.”
“If they are young enough to ask for it, they are too young to wean” Wait – don’t all men ask for it?
“Breastfeeding for all. Circumcision for none.” That’s just plain wrong.
“Silly Man. Tits are for kids!” I am SO using this line.
The website I found this information on is part of the Gentle Parenting webring. That cracks me up that the word “tits” is on a gentle parenting site.
NOTE: I did not breastfeed either of my boys. Didn’t try it, didn’t want to. I truly admire those mothers who do, though, and this is by no means an insult to them. I just wanted to talk about that dang bumper sticker! So don’t post nasty comments to me.
