Not too long ago, the world was drawn into a discussion of how long is too long to breastfeed your child. I found it to be a very interesting debate. Before I go any further, I want you to know that I breastfed all but one of my children. I believe in breastfeeding. It’s healthy for mother and child. It is natural. It is inexpensive. The list goes on in behalf of nursing.
Watching a four, five or six year old still nursing is a sweet sight to some. To some it is disgusting. To all I ask the question, what if that same four, five or six year old was sucking on a bottle or a pacifier? What is your reaction to that image?
Personally, I don’t feel that the argument is against extended breastfeeding as much as it is against extended “babying” of a child. It is disrespectful to do for a child what it can do for itself. Children thrive with encouraged independence- they want to “do it myself”.
Dependence on a breast or bottle or pacifier is not helping them to grow. It is holding them back. Let’s look at the animal world. That’s easy for me to do- I live in Farmville, USA. We have a mother dog who has decided that puppies big enough to eat don’t need to nurse. She lets them suckle standing up for a few minutes each day and then either lies down on her belly or runs away. Those who run after her or forcefully nudge her are rewarded with a growl or a sharp nip.
Our mother cats do a very similar thing. I have noticed that they tend to make themselves rather scarce during the process. They are teaching their kittens independence from not just mother’s milk but mother as well.
Birds just push their fledglings out of the nest when the time is right. Something more of us need to learn to do! And while I have seen an occasional calf or colt still nursing when they are as big as their moms- it is very rare.
Let’s remember that the process is called weaning-“ to transfer from dependence on it’s mother’s milk to another form of nourishment.” Maybe we could add to that definition- “and for moms to begin to learn the never ending process of letting go.”
That’s the view from my side of the street, what’s yours?
Watching a four, five or six year old still nursing is a sweet sight to some. To some it is disgusting. To all I ask the question, what if that same four, five or six year old was sucking on a bottle or a pacifier? What is your reaction to that image?
Personally, I don’t feel that the argument is against extended breastfeeding as much as it is against extended “babying” of a child. It is disrespectful to do for a child what it can do for itself. Children thrive with encouraged independence- they want to “do it myself”.
Dependence on a breast or bottle or pacifier is not helping them to grow. It is holding them back. Let’s look at the animal world. That’s easy for me to do- I live in Farmville, USA. We have a mother dog who has decided that puppies big enough to eat don’t need to nurse. She lets them suckle standing up for a few minutes each day and then either lies down on her belly or runs away. Those who run after her or forcefully nudge her are rewarded with a growl or a sharp nip.
Our mother cats do a very similar thing. I have noticed that they tend to make themselves rather scarce during the process. They are teaching their kittens independence from not just mother’s milk but mother as well.
Birds just push their fledglings out of the nest when the time is right. Something more of us need to learn to do! And while I have seen an occasional calf or colt still nursing when they are as big as their moms- it is very rare.
Let’s remember that the process is called weaning-“ to transfer from dependence on it’s mother’s milk to another form of nourishment.” Maybe we could add to that definition- “and for moms to begin to learn the never ending process of letting go.”
That’s the view from my side of the street, what’s yours?
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