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Aussie Teens Need Permission Slip to Watch Breastfeeding
Kids in an Australian high school were all set to watch a breastfeeding demonstration . . . until their teachers pulled the plug. It turns out the kids were supposed to get permission slips to see a woman’s boob.
Did anyone check to see if the baby had permission?
The demonstration at a Melbourne high school was apparently part of a class on the life cycle, and that included feeding of a baby. A mom from the Australian Breastfeeding Association was all ready to come into the school with her four-month-old and subject herself to what I imagine would be giggling and silly questions from a bunch of teenagers (because what else would you expect from kids’ whose parents need to sign permission slips for them to see a baby have breakfast?).
But the principal said the school wanted to be “sensitive” to the various nationalities of the students.
Except Australian laws dictate moms have a right to breastfeed. And if the kids are in Australia, attending Australian school, shouldn’t they be “doing as the Australians do?”
The sudden change smacks of sexualizing a non-sexual act, and it’s a dangerous time to do it. High school kids are at an age when they’re still developing as sexual beings. Breasts, particularly, are a big focus for both boys and girls. It never hurts to remind them that they have a function . . . and get them prepared for one day when that function will be good for their kids.
I’ve noticed fewer teen mothers seem to breastfeed than older moms, and although I can recognize how hard it is (and was for me), I’d be curious to see how different the reasons teens have for opting out might be from older moms. Might it be because they still find breasts as sexual instead of functional? Anecdotally, I’ve watched each episode of MTV’s 16 and Pregnant, and just one mom – who I interviewed for Babble a few weeks ago – breastfed on camera during any of the episodes. She was also the only teen mom to use bottles which contained a liner commonly used by breastmilk pumping mothers.
Do you think the school should have to get parental permission for teens to see something they could see on any beach, park bench or restaurant?
Image: EcoStreet
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8 Comments
PlumbLucky commented on Jul 20 09 at 11:57 amHmmm…if we loosely file this in the same category as sex-ed portion of health class, except that was an opt-OUT permission slip, not a permission slip so to speak.
Teen moms and breastfeeding…case of logistics perhaps? And a lack of support? A friend of mine who has children (one in her teens, the other recently) stated that the quality of care for her pregnancies VASTLY differed…the first she received very little information, she suspects due to her age at the time. Also – if a teenaged Mom is still in HS, I’m curious how she’d find time and a place to pump. (Yes, she could still feed before and after, but still)
Cali Mom commented on Jul 20 09 at 12:22 pmI think the school is doing what they think is necessary to prevent parents from freaking out. If they did not do this there would be some parents protesting. This way, they can still show the class how natural breastfeeding is (a great idea) and try and prevent major issues with the public. Even if the kids can see breastfeeding anywhere in Australia, bringing into the school can make some parents more sensitive.
I agree with PlumbLucky about the difficulty a teen would find in breastfeeding. Even if she were “allowed” more breaks, she would be missing out on a portion of her classes, which would put her behind everyone. I would think finishing her education is more important than breastfeeding.
Mel commented on Jul 20 09 at 2:02 pmWe have a high number of teenage pregnancies at the high school where I work, but in order for students to enroll in the on-site daycare they must take a childcare class. Most students take advantage of this opportunity, where they can get good information on prenatal best practices, general baby care, and breastfeeding. I’m not aware of special times set aside for students to pump, but I know that there are students who breastfeed, probably in part from receiving good information. Even still, I’m sure that outside of that class, any breastfeeding demonstrations would require permission slips, in order to appease some super conservative parents who would protest “nudity” in the classroom. As a side note, I live in an abstinence-only state, but that’s a whole other discussion…
Breastmates.co.nz commented on Jul 20 09 at 11:54 pmthat is ridiculous!!
Ali commented on Jul 21 09 at 12:49 amSorry but teens think of boobs as sexual. So seeing boobs to a 15 year old boy is sexual, no matter what it is doing.
Caz commented on Jul 24 09 at 2:45 amBut if 15yo boys were used to seeing infants breastfed, they wouldn’t consider a breast sexual in all circumstances. Change has to start somewhere. My sons saw me breastfeed their brother when they were in their teens :) and are pretty well adjusted young men.
Dr. P. Rapoport commented on Jul 26 09 at 9:02 am“But the principal said the school wanted to be “sensitive” to the various nationalities of the students.”
Then the students should not be taught in English, nor anything interesting about Australia. The above excuse is one of the stupidest to avoid taking responsibility. If the school is afraid of offending someone, there’s an easy way to be trouble free: just close down.
Education is not about imagining problems and then doing things to bring your incompetence to everyone’s attention.
Maybe the principal would like to go into politics.
ri-chan commented on Aug 28 09 at 6:48 pmWhen I was in high school we watched a video of a woman giving birth and didn’t need a permission slip, breastfeed is a lot less graphic and so I think it’s kinda silly. On the other hand I’m sure the principle was thinking “it’s better to be safe than sorry.” which is always a good policy when all that’s required to be safe is a signiture on a peice of paper.
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