- my iParenting
- quick clicks
- babies today articles
- babies today q&a
- toddlers today articles
- toddlers today q&a
- breastfeed.com articles
- breastfeed.com q&a
- message boards
- research baby names
- prepare a birth plan
- content channels
- ip channel rss feeds
- read birth stories
- read parenting stories
- recommended books
- e-newsletters
- safety recalls
- ip diaries
- ip store
- mom of the month
- dad of the month
- editor's letter
- letters to the editor
 |
- e-newsletters
- Sign up to receive our free weekly e-newsletters
- award-winning products
The iParenting Media Awards program helps parents find the best products for their families.
Lessons for a Generation
How Breastfeeding Impacts Older Children By Shel Franco
My 7-year-old son had a question. "Mom, what's the big deal about breasts?" he asked. "Some of my friends are always laughing about 'boobies.'"
I couldn't help but laugh, too. In his whole seven years, I had never heard him use the term "boobies," and it sounded so comical, coming from such a "mature" youngster.
In response, I mentioned something about some kids feeling uncomfortable around the human body, and that it's probably because they haven't seen many breasts in their lifetime.
The entire situation had me thinking: "Has my extended breastfeeding of three children led to my son's comfort with breasts and body issues in general?" and "Are other breastfeeding mothers experiencing the same thing?"
"I think that until breastfeeding is considered a natural part of life and treated as such, then we are going to forever have children who grow up ignorant of the normal way for infants to feed," she says. "If we are embarrassed and hide, then the children will understand that breastfeeding is embarrassing and should be hidden – or maybe shouldn't be done at all."
Before you say, "She's a lactation consultant; she has to say that," you should know that Calandro's opinion comes from intimate personal experience.
"When I was a small child, I went with a friend to her grandfather's farm," she says. "The farm workers breastfed when their babies were hungry without a second thought. I was fascinated – not disgusted – to see babies feeding in such a relaxed and comfortable way. No one had a negative thought, and it was a life experience that became a part of the norm for me as well."
Thinking about Calandro's "life experience" made me realize that I had one, too. When I was a child, I only ever saw one woman nurse, but it was a profound experience that led me to nurse my first child when all the women around me were bottle-feeding.
