A mother who posed on the cover of TIME magazine breastfeeding her three-and-a-half-year-old son has recreated a similar shot with her child now aged four.
Jamie Lynne Grumet, 26, from Los Angeles, is the cover star of this month's Pathways to Family Wellness Magazine, which advocates attachment parenting - a parenting style that includes co-sleeping with a child, constant skin-on-skin contact, and extended breastfeeding.
Unlike the TIME shot which showed her breastfeeding Aram as he stood on a seat to reach her, the new image shows her sat with him suckling her breast while husband Brian and adopted son Samuel huddle around.
Controversy: Jamie Lynne Grumet, is the cover star of this month's Pathways to Family Wellness Magazine, along with four-year-old Aram, her adopted son Samuel and husband Brian
Photographer Lori Dorman, who captured the family for the non-profit quarterly, said that she was trying to 'correct the misperception that was created on the TIME cover' which was slammed by critics when it was published in May.
She added: 'Its message was that nursing a three-year-old was outrageous and inappropriate, when in fact nursing a three-year-old is a normal, healthy activity in the world today.'
Mrs Grumet, who was breastfed by her own mother until the age of six, says that she will not stop breastfeeding the toddler until he turns five and she has aimed to provide the same type of support to Samuel, who was adopted from Ethiopia in November of 2010.
Talking about her collaboration with Pathways to Family Wellness Magazine she said that she was happy with the way the publication had addressed the theory of attachment parenting and was disappointed with the reaction TIME's coverage provoked.
Touchy subject: The highly talked-about cover featuring the 26-year-old mother breastfeeding Aram
She wrote on her blog: 'The publication interviewed me a couple of weeks after the TIME cover and decided to deconstruct the cover and display breastfeeding past infancy in an authentic way.
'The bizarre attention from TIME was still going strong when we agreed to do this shoot, but this relationship with Pathways was supported with API and we knew we were in good hands.
'The article is wonderful, we really are so thankful that there are non-profit magazines like Pathways trying to educate people about conscious parenting.'
She is completely aware of how unorthodox the parenting technique, which was originally coined by U.S. pediatrician Dr William Sears, can be perceived. But she strongly believes her methods are 'biologically normal.'
'There are people who tell me they're going to call social services on me or that it's child molestation', she said. 'I really don't think I can reason with those people.'
And she believes that the more people see it, the more it will become 'normal in our culture.'
'There seems to be a war going on between conventional parenting and attachment parenting,' she continued. 'That's what I want to avoid. I want everyone to be encouraging. We're not opposing teams.
'We all need to be encouraging to each other and I don't think we're doing a very good job at that.'
The technique also involves parents co-sleeping with their children and wearing them in a sling to ensure they remain physically close to the body.
The mother admitted that she 'did understand' that the cover shoot was intended to spark controversy,stating: 'We knew exactly what we were going to get into.'
It is not the first time the parenting technique has come under the microscope in recent times.
Support: The mother, pictured top right with her husband Brian (top left), Aram (bottom left) and Samuel (bottom right) also breastfeeds five-year-old Samuel
Blossom actress Mayim Bialik recently wrote a book called Beyond The Sling about how she breastfeeds her three-year-old son and allows her six-year-old to sleep on a mattress on the floor with her and her husband.
ATTACHMENT PARENTING
- A phrase coined by pediatrician William Sears
- The philosophy is based on the principles of attachment theory in developmental psychology
- It suggests that a strong emotional bond with caregivers from an early stage can enhance a child's socio-emotional development and well-being
- Breastfeeding into toddlerhood and beyond, co-sleeping, and 'baby wearing' are encouraged
- Dr Sears' The Baby Book, first published in 1992, promotes eight principles which include: Preparation for Pregnancy, Birth and Parenting, Feed with Love and Respect, Respond with Sensitivity, Use Nurturing Touch, Ensure Safe Sleep, Physically and Emotionally, Provide Consistent Loving Care, Practice Positive Discipline, Strive for Balance in Personal and Family Life
Dr Bialik, who has a PhD in neuroscience, told Newsok.com: 'When we treat our children kindly and expect love and give love, we hopefully are raising children that then expect that and give that to the world around them.'
She kept both of her children close to her person for many of their first months by placing them in a sling across her body every day.
A $35 sling was used for both Miles, six, and Fred, three, who were kept laid down rather than upright to ensure the baby kept its natural shape.
The couple have also allowed their children to develop correct toilet habits as soon as they realise their body’s natural signals.
Dr Bialik said in regards to diaper use: ‘You’re basically training your child to use their pants as a bathroom and two years later we have them turn around and do all sorts of complicated manipulations to get them to unlearn.’
Alanis Morissette recently revealed that she will continue to breastfeed her son Ever until he tells her he wants to stop.
Speaking on Good Morning America, the singer, 37, tackled the debate on attachment parenting, addressing the effect of the Time magazine cover, and the stages of 'appropriate' childhood
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2202103/Times-attachment-parenting-mom-breastfeeds-son-ANOTHER-magazine-cover.html#ixzz26H4GmVu7
