Just wanted to say a word about the TIME Magazine cover with the photo of the woman breastfeeding her 3 year old. I'm not going to get into the argument here, except to say that I think sometimes women breastfeed well beyond the time a child needs them to - for their own emotional needs, rather than the needs of their child.
That said, breastfeeding is the most natural thing in the world. Though it may be difficult for many in this sexified (oh, I see that it is a word, so I'm not sure if I should use it or not, but you know what I mean) society of ours to believe, breastfeeding is actually the purpose for which those appendages were designed. God could have designed the female body with plastic bottles attached, I suppose, but He didn't. That's probably a very good thing in many ways.
ANYWAY, that cover photo reminded me of when my sister had her first baby. He cried a lot. Therefore, he was breastfed a lot. It's what young mothers tend to do in response to a crying baby - feed him.
One day when my Aunt Esther walked into the living room to see my nephew once again attached to his breastfeeding mother, she looked down at my [probably 6 month old] nephew and declared,
'You know, young man, you can't go through life
with your mother hangin' out of your mouth!'
Every time I think of Aunt Esther and that clever line, it makes me smile. :-)
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Well said.
ReplyDeleteOh Aunt Esther made me laugh.
ReplyDeleteBeyond two years is too much IMHO but I think some cultures do it much longer.
ReplyDeleteGrandmas just told it like it was - didn't they? Love the honesty in them.
ReplyDeletesandie
I think maybe up until the child is twelve months old is long enough...and once the child can talk then it's wrong.
ReplyDeleteAunt Esther's remark is funny :-)
Agreed :)
ReplyDeleteI bet Aunt Esther was fun!
ReplyDeleteYears ago I saw a child breast feeding between taking bites of his McDonald's cheeseburger. Unfortunately that image has never left me, gad.
ReplyDelete