How to set a postitive parenting example....

A Facebook friend posted THIS link to an article about a 4 year old girl who breastfed her doll in a restaurant! This got me thinking and here is some of the thoughts that flew through my caffeine buzzed brain...

I think we should encourage young girls to embrace their womanhood and what their bodies naturally do for babies. I think it's a bad idea to be giving young girls baby dolls that come with a bottle and a crib. I think this instills the assumption at an early age that bottle feeding and detachment are natural, acceptable practices. I think that we should not be afraid to share birth and breastfeeding with our children, there is nothing wrong with that and it should not be sexualized like it is so often. I hope if I have a future daughter that she "breastfeeds" her baby doll, wants to wear them in a sling and co-sleep with them. If in the future my son wanted to attend his siblings birth, I wouldn't bat an eye in allowing him to do so. Our culture lies in telling children and brainwashing adults alike into believing that birth and breastfeeding are something to be ashamed of, something that is a sexual as intercourse. This is simply NOT true! These are natural processes and are part of life. It makes me sad that most Americans will never view a true birth, will put down women for breastfeeding anywhere they need to, and put others down for believing and living the opposite. What message are we sending our children? How will things ever change if our culture continues to do such things as this? Okay rant over, in summary, I thought that the little girl in the article was precious and good for her and for her parents for being such a positive influence! :)