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.
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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.
I can imagine it can be a challenge .. I know with our own two we cut WAY back before I quit work. It also got much easier once the older one got his driver's license and could cart the younger one around laugh...
Even with my younger one - we ensure that he makes wise choices - and even then it often becomes a family activity.
While it would have been nice to have more children - I've been happy with our little family! Besides .. it's kind of nice being the only female... hahahaha
It was a joke, which I figured with your attitude you wouldn't get. I have no idea who you are nor do I care so obviously there is no way to stop you. If you feel comfortable nursing your baby in a mall food court, I couldn't possibly care less. But people do a lot of selfish things that I just ignore and chalk up to the society we live in. As I stated, I have managed to nurse three without ever having to do so in public. But then I appreciate private things done in private. I also respect others' feelings and wouldn't purposely want to embarass anyone or make them uncomfortable. And I feel we have all covered (pun intended) the subject of public nursing enough for one thread.
You have so much common sense and wisdom. Too bad so many here won't be able to see that because it's all about what they want. I feel sorry for their children, actually.
Don't worry. It seems when people are losing a debate or realize they are wrong, they either change the subject or start the name-calling. It's a sign you've won.:)
I guess it's a matter of whose needs you put first. I have three and didn't need to breast-feed in public.
But here comes the buzzword: How do you define "discrete"? A woman nursing her baby in a mall FOOD court is not being "discrete" in my books; but she is being discrete according to your definition.
In re rudeness: General note: everyone! Stop being Rude!
And, I think women breastfeeding in "general public"- high volume, high density population locations are not being discreet. That's really the argument, no? We are debating semantics.
Lol! What an adorable baby! I'm laughing with that mom! :)
This is a crazy country.
Part of the population wants the right to shove scissors in babies heads and suck their brains out, other want the right to flip their breasts out and feed them in public.
Yes, mcl9852; it should be about feeding the baby. I don't think anyone in this thread disagrees with feeding the baby; I think the argument is over the "mom's choice" in how and when to feed the baby. Some argue it is none of anyone else's decision. True, but only to a point. And when this point is reached, all hell breaks lose in discourse.
Are you suggesting mom is "helpless" in the world of choices? No. Mom is not a sailboat. And we are not discussing the Titanic here, or are we? Are breastfeeding mothers who wish to breastfeed in public... Sinking Titanics -- women and children first -- all other passengers stand prepared to die?
I don't know where you are picking up that some on this thread are objecting to the IDEA of "breasts as nourishment". I haven't picked that up.
What I'm saying is that if you are on a day outing, and are at the food court with a nursing shirt on and a blanket as needed, that a mom nursing there has fewer choices than the others on how connected to nursing she wants to be. It should not be a worry to anyone for her to nurse there... and if it is... the worrier can look in any of the other 350 degrees of direction if the sight of a woman, baby and blanket are too upsetting.
Tell that to the people who justify breast feeding in public because its a "natural process." Sure its a natural process, but so are lots of things like sex and urination.
Using "its a natural process" was a lame point to justify breast feeding in public because if being a "natural process" is the criteria, then sex and urination fall into that category so they can most certainly be equated.
Like I said before, I have absolutely no problem with women breast feeding in public but the arguments laid out to support it in this thread haven't helped the position.
The woman's right... retailers sell near state of undress clothing to mall rats who "hang wit their gurlz" and they flash their stashes a whole lot more than this woman was. I bet there would even be gurlz in the john snorting solvent and Peruvian marching powder so they didn't have to sit on seats in the open spaces with blankets along with breastfeeding mums.
>>I don't get the point of what you posted.<<
Surely you aren't that dense.
If the manager doesn't want you or anyone else breast feading in HIS store, that's HIS perrogative. Sorry but you don't have the right to breast feed in public. Many of us don't want to see it, and if the store or mall is going to fall on our side, then you're out of luck.
,,, here's a good one - "it's for the children". Can you think of any recent President who got away with so much using that one?
This thread is the basis of a perfectly valid context. Here's a mother, feeding her child in a dignified manner. The child is dependent on her and kids that age have no idea of where they are, what time it is or anything else, except they're hungry and they want a top up NOW. I'm 46 years old. If she were "feeding" me this way on a seat at the mall the security officer would be vindicated, but this time round he would have been better just walking on.
If the manager doesn't want you or anyone else breast feading in HIS store, that's HIS perrogative. Sorry but you don't have the right to breast feed in public. Many of us don't want to see it, and if the store or mall is going to fall on our side, then you're out of luck."
Apparently, you are the one who is dense.
Some would say that its anti-family for a woman to pull out her breast in the middle of food court where teenage boys are. Some are really discrete about it and no part of the breast is ever exposed, but some aren't. Some parents don't want their children exposed to an adult woman's breast.
Hypothetically, if one of the teenage girl's that you talked about your post pulled out her breast in the food court to show her friends her new nipple ring, but kept it somewhat discrete so only her friends at the table could see, would that be ok? One might argue that breast feeding and showing off a nipple ring are two different things, but to children in the area, a breast is a breast.
Hypothetially, if a man put medication on his penis (medical necessity) in a food court, but covered himself with a towel so no one could actually see any nudity but could tell what he was doing, would that be ok?
Again, I'm not against public breast feeding - saying that its anti-family going over the top. To some, its a beautiful thing that should be shared to all and to others its like cutting your toe nails in public.
Okay. Let's start with your premise. In the corner of the food mart is a woman breastfeeding her baby under a blanket. Some other customer objects. So what? Not everyone subscribes to "breastfeeding as nourishment" or "in public venues". If a breastfeeding mother is told to feed elsewhere, she should. She is not "feeding" the baby on her property. And it is up to the owners and their proxy to decide, agreed?
Nope not agreed. If mom's in a corner in a discreet nursing garment of some kind and someone objects, I'm gonna tell the objector to look somewhere else.
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