So. Ever heard of "kiss-feeding"? No? Me, neither. Apparently it's a thing. And Alicia Silverstone does it with her kid. And it's... um... well, it's odd.
It involves chewing food for your child... and then feeding it to them. With your mouth. As in, mouth-to-mouth feeding. As in, essentially, spitting food from your mouth to your child's mouth. Um... I just....
I hate being judgy about other moms. It's a huge problem in our society and it's one of the things I fight against the most. But it's hard sometimes. Really, REALLY hard sometimes. As parents, we have to feel like what we're doing is right. Parenthood feels like a giant crapshoot sometimes, and if we constantly feel like we're bumbling around, it's unbearable. We have to feel confident about our choices, so we fight to the death to defend them.
I try like hell to respect different parenting styles. I know that each kid is different (boy, are they) and that each parent has to find what works best for them and their children. I know this. I believe this. I BELIEVE THIS.
But oh man, you guys. Watching someone feed their kid like a bird is just... well, I'm having a rough time with this one.
Look, we've all popped a piece of apple in our mouths and bitten off a tiny piece for the baby. Lots of us have even taken food that the baby has spit out and popped it into our mouths. But, oof. This one is tough. It's not really the parenting choice that's getting me, exactly. It's more of an "ew" factor thing. As in, I kinda feel bad for the kid. Can you imagine? You're grown up, you're name is called in Bio during your sophomore year, and some kid goes, "OMG. You're that dude who made out with his mom. And she, like, she spit food in your mouth. Dude. That shit's weird."
People are mean, man. I don't want to give anyone any more fodder with which to torture my children. Kiss-feeding... well, that just seems like asking for it.
I'm trying really hard here. I am. I want to believe that there's a brilliant reason for kiss-feeding. I want to trust that there's a solid theory behind using your own mouth instead of the Magic Bullet. I know that there's history and science supporting the advantages. But I... gah, I just. It's... um... I... Alicia's doing what she feels is right. Best for her kid? Right?
Thoughts? Help me out? Comments, questions, concerns? KISS-FEEDING?!?!?
More on Alicia's kiss-feeding: Here and here. More on premastication as a practice here.
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