Breastfeeding Older Children (eight year old, mother, adults, health)

[sbd78]

Originally Posted by yodi

I do not believe that independence is something that needs to be taught. I believe that it will come when the child's dependency needs have been met. I believe that independence is a part of a child's natural development and will come in it's own time. Two notable stages where children naturally assert their independence are the "terrible two's" and the teenage years. Just sharing another view on independence.

Yes, a certain amount of independance is natural, but I believe children also need a push. Take potty training for example. My almost 2.5 year old is not yet potty trained, we have not started the heavy potty training yet. (We plan to start soon.) But I bought him a little potty chair. I point out to him that babies use diapers and big boys go on toilet. I point out to him that Mommy and Daddy use the toilet. I'm planting the seed for when we start heavy duty potty training. If I allowed him to use diapers for as long as he wanted and never made an issue of it, who knows how long I would be changing his poopy diapers? I'm teaching him to use the potty at an age appropriate time, so that I don't end up with a child in diapers way longer than is necessary. I doubt this mother ever encouraged her daughter to move on from breastfeeding, and the result is an 8-year-old still breastfeeding.

[Beena]

The important thing here is to celebrate diversity. To remember that everyone's lifestyle choice is important and to be respected, and everyone's opinion and viewpoint is relevant. There are no wrong answers, and there are no opinion's that are incorrect.

Having said that, let me share mine.

If that homely bald dude was the only thing I was getting action from...I would be breastfeeding everything in sight too.

[zonababe]

Just one more way to cater to a child. I fear for the future of this country as it will be run by needy adult babies.

After mammals are weaned they no longer need milk. Why do we continue drinking milk on into adulthood?

[Movie Lover]

Because we wanna suck nips!

[2girlsand2boys]

Originally Posted by sbd78

I don't think anyone in this thread has brought up anything sexual as a reason why an 8-year-old is too old to nurse, and pretty much everyone is for nursing babies/toddlers. I think the reason Americans see a problem with this is we don't live in a third world country. We live in a developed and educated nation with an ample food supply. By 7-8 years old, a child in our society is normally in school full time, learning to read and write. The life of an 8-year-old in America is a whole lot different than the life of an 8-year-old in a remote, third world part of the world where the goal is simply to survive.

Well, when people use words like disgusting and sicko, what do you think that implies? The ONLY reason I can see for feelings like that is that people think that breasts have a function other than for nursing.

Who made the rule that there is a cut off for what is acceptable for breastfeeding? It is only wrong because you have been socialized to think it is wrong.

BTW- third world countries are not the only ones that practice full term breastfeeding and CLW. There are a lot of practices in the US that are more atrocious than a mother providing her own milk for her own child for as long as she thinks she needs it. What happens if the practice becomes more and more frequent. WIll that make it acceptable to you?

Evidence suggests that more woman are breastfeeding older children...

[yodi]

Originally Posted by zonababe

Just one more way to cater to a child. I fear for the future of this country as it will be run by needy adult babies.

Are you afraid of the 29.1% of children who were never given the opportunity to breastfeed at all or the 5% of children who were still nursing at 18months of age?

After mammals are weaned they no longer need milk. Why do we continue drinking milk on into adulthood?

I agree. After weaning there is absolutely no need to consume dairy products, especially milk from another animal.

[fierce_flawless]

Originally Posted by yodi

Are you afraid of the 29.1% of children who were never given the opportunity to breastfeed at all or the 5% of children who were still nursing at 18months of age?



I agree. After weaning there is absolutely no need to consume dairy products, especially milk from another animal.

Great points!

[dreamsncharms]

I'm sorry but I could not watch more than a few minutes of that video. I am all for breast feeding, but that is way too old. It is a Mother's job to teach her children to become independent like the other posters had said.
That lady looked like a pedophile pushing her child to her breasts *puke* I am not saying that she is one, just that she looks like one.


Oh right let's let the children make the rules to do things when they are ready, they can be in diapers, not do any homework or studying.. until they are ready or anything else.

Breasts may not be a sexual organ, but they are sexual during sex and intimacy.

[ADVentive]

Originally Posted by sbd78

Yes, a certain amount of independance is natural, but I believe children also need a push. Take potty training for example. My almost 2.5 year old is not yet potty trained, we have not started the heavy potty training yet. (We plan to start soon.) But I bought him a little potty chair. I point out to him that babies use diapers and big boys go on toilet. I point out to him that Mommy and Daddy use the toilet. I'm planting the seed for when we start heavy duty potty training. If I allowed him to use diapers for as long as he wanted and never made an issue of it, who knows how long I would be changing his poopy diapers? I'm teaching him to use the potty at an age appropriate time, so that I don't end up with a child in diapers way longer than is necessary. I doubt this mother ever encouraged her daughter to move on from breastfeeding, and the result is an 8-year-old still breastfeeding.

I happen to agree with you that it's fine and even good for a parent to encourage this sort of development in their child when it's age-appropriate (note though that I think that many people push such things too early and I think that can be detrimental). I don't have a problem with gentle parent-led weaning. However, the moms who CLW believe that their child will eventually come to it on their own and will be better off for it. By your own admission, you are pushing potty training on your schedule because you don't want to be inconvenienced to change the poopy diapers any longer than necessary. By this reasoning you are doing it for yourself, not for your child. I am sure that if you did not push potty training at all, that your child would still begin to use the potty on their own and would not grow to be a teenager in diapers (barring special circumstances of course, such as mental or physical disability). And while it may be more inconvenience for you to wait until your child chooses it for himself, I don't think it's any harm to the child to do it that way. CLW moms are doing it all for their child, believing that their child will wean when ready. I do not think they are doing this for themselves in any way, and I think their intentions are good and not "sick" at all.

[fierce_flawless]

Originally Posted by dreamsncharms

I'm sorry but I could not watch more than a few minutes of that video. I am all for breast feeding, but that is way too old. It is a Mother's job to teach her children to become independent like the other posters had said.
That lady looked like a pedophile pushing her child to her breasts *puke* I am not saying that she is one, just that she looks like one.


Oh right let's let the children make the rules to do things when they are ready, they can be in diapers, not do any homework or studying.. until they are ready or anything else.

Breasts may not be a sexual organ, but they are sexual during sex and intimacy.

So are necks, hands, backs... but no one is going to freak out if my 11 year old holds my hand or puts his arm around my neck because those parts are not inherently erotic or sexual.

I cannot speak for other nursing moms, but I can tell you that for me, when I was in "nursing mode", my breasts completely became *functional only* in my mind. They ceased being anything else... like someone flipped a switch in my psyche for the duration. It actually took a year or so after weaning for them to suit any other "purpose"...simply because in my head they were for feeding/comforting and that's it.