Breastfeeding Older Children (boy, genius, adult, sister)

[dvcgal]

Breastfeeding a child up until puberty (which now a days many girls are starting their periods younger~age 8 and up) is just another issue I have with this. To answer your question in the last post, I think that by allowing a child to breastfeed up unitl age 8 not only sets a dependency standard in every aspect of life but this parent also refuses to teach this child limitations. There is a reason why doctors suggest a time frame of weening children off of the breast and/or bottle. There is a reason why doctors suggest a time frame to potty train. If this was an 8 year old child still using diapers on a daily basis how would you feel? There are of course exceptions to every rule, but this seems to be a selfish act on the mother's part. How selfish to put this child through this. What about the ridicule that the child goes through when her friends find out? How about the parent's of the friends?

*To go back, I believe that when you teach a child to be dependent that this in turn contributes to all aspects of life's building blocks. This child will fail to recognize limitations and independence based on her mother's selfishness.*

[redwine]

OK, it is funny how on the political thread they are discussing weather or not a 8 year old should be tried as an adult in the killing of two people And here we have people discussing if it is normal for a 8 year old to breastfeed.
Wow.

[redwine]

Originally Posted by Woof Woof Woof!

I once dated a man who was still breastfeeding. That was challenging.

what is wrong with you??

[TouchOfWhimsy]

Originally Posted by redwine

OK, it is funny how on the political thread they are discussing weather or not a 8 year old should be tried as an adult in the killing of two people And here we have people discussing if it is normal for a 8 year old to breastfeed.
Wow.

Wow is right, that is very interesting! My son will be 8 in a couple of months, and I can't even imagine.

[brokencrayola]

You dated a man that was still breasfeeding, from his mother? OMG!

[xxDragonFlyxx]

Originally Posted by fierce_flawless

What's scary is that in some neighborhoods that I've had the ... (ahem)... "privilege" to live in, what's "normal" is your kid having all his or her front teeth capped by age 3 or 4 due to "baby bottle mouth" and kool-aid in the bottle, and people think it's weird if your kid still has healthy teeth at age 3! But yeah, when I was nursing a child over the age of 2, I was the weirdo.

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Originally Posted by ConcernedMommy

[/b]

Good point! Funny how we as a society see a child eating cheetos while drinking red koolaid as normal, but a child drinking breastmilk from his or her mother unnatural and abnormal.

Good points!

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Originally Posted by Woof Woof Woof!

Concerned Mommy,

I agree! I can't believe all the fat little kids I see running around nowadays. How can a 13 year old be fat? How can a 5 year old be fat?

Their parents feed them junk. And it's all to common.

So I really don't understand the "concern" over a toddler sucking on the breast for a few extra years or humans drinking cow's milk. Milk and cream is in half the stuff we eat. You almost have to work hard to stay away from it.

So, yes, I think a few on this board are getting a little over worried...

There are other reasons than being fed junk. Many neccesary medications for [currently] unpreventable diseases cause obesity. I assume you were not implying that that's the only reason kids may be overweight/obese, but please don't think of all kids as a whole- there are always exceptions!

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Originally Posted by 2girlsand2boys

How are my posts any more attacking than the people who referred to women nursing an older child as "sickos" and "disgusting"? That is obviously just their opinion, and I find that to be insulting!

You said that YOU know what is right. What is that based on? Certainly not fact! It is based on your opinion! The same as MY opinion that it is healthier for a child to be nursing at age 8 than to eating most of the crap found in the American's diet. I also believe that most people find extended breastfeeding "icky" because we do not live in a society where everyone does it. Like it or not, Americans are sheep that find it difficult to form their own opinions on things. No one wants to have an original thought for fear of being a social outcast! It is much easier for them to say, "Well, the Jones's do it this way, so I should too." or "no one breastfeeds a child for that long, so I shouldn't either".

Call it insulting if you like, but that is the way it is. If it was common in our society to see 8 year olds nursing, this would be a non-issue.

I think people walking around in next to nothing in clothing (etc) is icky, but since it's "normal" no one else seems to think so. People think the Amish are weird because they were brought up in a different world, and vice-versa. Some people consider spiders a delicacy and extremely scrumptious, whereas I shudder at the thought. But if I'd been raised where everyone thought that, I could very well be sitting here drooling at the thought. Girls like pink because girls on TV like pink, and their parent's dressed in pink. Of course nothing is one-size-fits-all, and I am speaking in general...as I said above, there are always exceptions.

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<b>Personally</b> I would probably not go past 2 1/2, but that is now, you never know what will come up in the future. And of course if they naturally started to wean off I wouldn't encourage them not to. But I definitely don't plan on breastfeeding past 5. Though I never saw breasts as anything sexual, I feel the way things are going in the world I don't think I will be able to shield my child from what's around them for very long- SEX, SEX, SEX! Already it seems that so much is about it, that I feel like by then it will be a miracle if by three they haven't already had the idea in their mind that everything (including the breasts) is about sex or being "sexy" or "hot". Again- my opinion. I don't claim to be right or know it all, but that's my personal oppinion.
I do fear though that children who are breastfed at 3+ could/would have attachment issues. One size doesn't fit all and I guess you never really know until you're there, what's okay for your child, none-the-less what's best for them. I don't plan on ever breastfeeding a four (none the less 7) year old, but I won't come out and say they're wrong to do it.

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Oh, and I do wonder (just curious) why people think it's okay to drink animal breast milk, but people get grossed out from thinking of a child drinking breast milk (or eating it in ben & jerry's ice cream) even when not with their mouth at their mother's breast. I mean, how is it so different? I kiss my mother on the cheek, and I've never heard someone think that's gross...it's just a casual part of the body, and really so is the breast, wouldn't you think? Do you think it's because the child is old enough to be drinking out of a glass and to find other methods of comfort? That part makes sense, but not why people freak out about a child drinking breast milk (whereas a cow's breast milk is just fine, as is pediasure if the child needs aditional nutrition, but would shudder at getting the nutrition from pumped human breast milk)....hmmmm...
(Not trying to start a fight, just wondering what other's think)

[Capt. Dan]

Is the mother enabling a dependant 8 year old? Or is an 8 year old enabling a mother who refuses to let go?

[stormy night]

I think it's revolting. There aren't enough words in the English language that would convince me that breastfeeding past a second birthday would be necessary or beneficial to either the mother or child. I even cringe at the tought of over a year old child breastfeeding.

Many years ago, I heard that once something isn't necessary, it is habit. Habits take a different effort to end because for the most part, they continue out of convenience.

Bottles are no longer necessary after a year old. They are given out of convenience.

Breastfeeding is no longer necessary after a year old. It is done out of convenience or a parental desire to continue due to their own reluctance to allow the child to grow into it's own independence.

Diapers are no longer necessary after 18 months for girls and 2 years for boys. They are continued because it is easier to change a diaper than to devote ample time to train the child. Same thing.

I won't even go into what I think about women who breastfeed out in the open in public.

[sbd78]

Originally Posted by stormy night

Diapers are no longer necessary after 18 months for girls and 2 years for boys. They are continued because it is easier to change a diaper than to devote ample time to train the child. Same thing.

You think all girls should be potty trained by 18 months and all boys should be potty trained by their second birthday??? Wow, the little girl I used to babysit didn't even walk until 16 months, so 2 months later she should have been using the toilet? And I will let my 2.5 year old son know that he is waaaay behind in the potty training. Believe me, I want him potty trained. Diapers are not convienent or easier, they are expensive and changing them is not my idea of fun.

[yodi]

Originally Posted by stormy night

I think it's revolting. There aren't enough words in the English language that would convince me that breastfeeding past a second birthday would be necessary or beneficial to either the mother or child. I even cringe at the tought of over a year old child breastfeeding.

Breastfeeding is no longer necessary after a year old. It is done out of convenience or a parental desire to continue due to their own reluctance to allow the child to grow into it's own independence.

Ok so we should ignore all of the research and wean on or before the child's first birthday so that they can be independent? One year olds are not independent, neither are 2, 3, 4, 5 year olds.

Diapers are no longer necessary after 18 months for girls and 2 years for boys. They are continued because it is easier to change a diaper than to devote ample time to train the child. Same thing.

Those numbers are completely arbitrary and meaningless. There are many different factors that go into when a child learns to use the potty.

I won't even go into what I think about women who breastfeed out in the open in public.

thank you!