Extended Breast Feeding - Yay or Nay?

I'm sure by now that everyone has seen and has an opinion on this week's TIME Magazine cover showcasing Jamie Lynne Grumet and her 3-year old son, who is an attachment parenting proponent.

Source: lightbox.time.com via Stephanie on Pinterest

For the record let me state that I am not against breastfeeding your child or breast feeding them for whatever length of time you feel is appropriate. My issues with this cover actually have nothing to do with attachment parenting, and everything to do with the way the issue is addressed on the TIME Magazine cover and in it's additional stories on the subject on it's website.

Issue #1 - Time Magazine's tag line for the article asks "Are You Mom Enough?"

Really? Am I mom enough? Are you insinuating that if I or anyone else is not a breastfeeding mom, let alone an extended breastfeeding mom, that this makes me a bad parent? As if today's parents don't have enough to worry about how they are as a parent, now you have to throw these kinds of questions in the mix too? I breastfed BOTH of my boys until the time was right for THEM to wean themselves or that it couldn't be done anymore. It's a personal choice for the family and no one should be made to feel like they aren't good enough because of their decisions.

Issue # 2 - Titling the series of articles "Inside the Rise of Extreme Parenting"

Just the idea that there is a movement called "extreme parenting" sets off alarm bells. It seems to me that TIME magazine and other media outlets are lumping in these families' choices along with the "extreme hoarders", "extreme couponers" and "extreme sports" enthusiasts. Why can't it just be referred to as another parenting style and left at that.

Yes, attachment parenting is a viable solution for many families, but it's not necessarily for everyone. By running this cover and provocative headline, TIME Magazine has shown an irresponsibility on the part of the mainstream media in claiming that we are bad parents if we don't subscribe to this way of thinking and are making the subject more controversial than it needs to be. Parenting styles come and go, and are individualized for each family.

Women work hard enough these days whether outside of the home or in it and the last thing us moms need is someone asking if  we are "mom enough."