Posted on 04/30/2005 5:56:16 AM PDT by tuffydoodle
Nursing mom gets unwelcome reception
FW mall says security firm made a mistake
10:37 PM CDT on Friday, April 29, 2005
By KARIN KELLY / WFAA-TV
For many mothers, breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world.
But it turned into an embarassing situation that angered a North Texas woman this week after she said a mall security guard harassed her.
Adrian Sparks was shopping at Hulen Mall Thursday, and decided to discreetly nurse her eight-month-old baby under a blanket in the food court.
Also Online
Karin Kelly reports "The security guard came over and asked me to stop, and either go to the restroom or to leave," Sparks said.
The guard told Sparks a food court customer had complained, even though Sparks was covered with a blanket.
"I told him it was perfectly legal for me to nurse my child," Sparks said. "And that they sell clothes more revealing that what I was doing right here."
Of course, it is legal - but soon another manager approached.
"He said, 'well those rules don't apply because we're a private facility,'" she recalled.
Friends who breastfeed have rushed in for support.
"The human race wouldn't exist without breast milk," said nursing mom Rachel Tarbutton.
Some are members of La Leche League, an organization that supports mother's milk for health and bonding benefits..
"To know that she is getting everything she needs from me, from my body, is (important)," Sparks said.
Mall officials said the incident was not normal procedure, and that t heir new security company made a mistake.
"That is not a Hulen Mall policy," said manager Kevin Davies. " We support what she was doing, we support moms and all of our customers, and feel badly this occurred."
That's not all that reassuring for Sparks, though.
"I don't think I'll ever be able to shop there again, because I was just so upset about it," she said.
MamaB, you need to go over to the "lactivist" thread and read through that one. The stupidity is stunning. Someone even said it was too hard to find some somewhere else to look when they came upon a breastfeeding mother. sheesh.
"If you don't like seeing those magazine covers, then don't look."
Does the same go for you when you see a breastfeeding mother? It works great.
Weren't you and I arguing about dogs earlier? It's nice to see we can agree about some things
You're a good dad and your baby girl is beautiful. I love to see a dad showing off his baby!
I have 5 kids and 4 of them are fixing to go to tae kwon do so I'll be tied up pretty much the rest of the evening. I've enjoyed it, though!
shoing = showing
If she covered her breasts with a blanket, then nobody should have been complaining.
Oh my! She's gorgeous darlin'.
I do believe that was me. I hope we don't agree on everything, that would take all the fun out of FR.
I can usually disagree without being disagreeable but this breastfeeding stuff really makes my blood boil.
If she was discreetly nursing under a blanket, I don't see the problem. Someone messed up big time and is going to get a wrist slapping.
In the original story, the woman was completely covered. It seems it was the thought of what she was doing under that blanket that pissed people off.
My wife and I used to live a block away from that mall. We didn't have children at the time, but if we did, she may have fed our child in the same manner this person did. We usually try to find a nursing station, but in some instance, our baby did not want to wait, so my wife did what she could. In all that time, no one ever bothered her about it.
Yeah, my BP goes up also the subject is breasts.
Thank you. Her big sister was too and still is, distressingly so now that she's 11 and boys are starting to notice her.
It's enough to make me want to haul the whole family off to Alaska for a decade or so.
But if she'd been a Waitress at the local sports bar, she would've gotten a bigger tip.
Some folks just need a hard slap up side the head.
"Yeah, my BP goes up also the subject is breasts."
Cowtown, here is another man after your own heart. Ya'll sound like the same person. Acad, read through cowtown's posts, you'll see what I mean.
I was thinking the same thing. Maybe the complainer should have left!
What's the difference? Both are natural functions of the human body and both can be necessary to satisfy urgent bodily needs.
So, please explain the difference to me.
"According to the article, the woman was covered."
Yep, and in those circumstance, I have no problem with public nursing. Discretion is the key.
But I'd still like an explanation from you as to why nursing in public and urinating in public aren't equally acceptable or objectionable.
One is feeding a child, the other is eliminating waste, why is that so hard to see?
Yeah, I was thinkin' she meant somewhere near a womans heart!
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.