31. "Breast feeding for years and years is not natural for mammals. Think about non-human animals. They nurse their young until the young are capable of eating solid food. Humans typically introduce solid food to their babies at 4-6 months, but Moms want to nurse until the child is 2! - And creepily some Moms still nurse for longer. At some point, after the child is well able to get adequate nutrition from foods other than breast milk, breast feeding becomes something for the Mom rather than
for the baby. After a certain age (unless the family lives in a part of the world where food is very scarce) breast feed seems rather
pedophilic."
AMEN to that!
I am not anti-breast feeding when the mother is comfortable with it, but you have to admit that when they reach an age when they can ask for it, its just wrong!

Jane at 2:42PM on May 23rd 2008

32. these kids are f-ed up already! Not to mention the mother. Like a cow!
gross!

Friend of Orianna at 2:46PM on May 23rd 2008

33. Hey, I had to share my wife with my 2 kids when she breastfed the first 9 to 12 months of their lives. That's long enough. My lovely wife's breasts are once again all mine.

can't be weaned at 3:56PM on May 23rd 2008

34. Breastfeeding for years and years isn't typical for most mammals. Of course, most are also born being able to walk and follow their parents around after a few days, or even hours.

If you just look at the relative level of independence shown by a typical "animal" mammal vs. humans, our young are highly dependent for WAY longer. There have been solid, scientific studies that compared humans to related primates. When they compared the developmental timelines of for young of those primates to human babies, they concluded that a "natural" schedule of nursing for humans would extend well beyond the first year.

I'm not comfortable with nursing until 8 years, but it's her life, and her kids. I also think it's damned near child abuse to park a toddler in front of a TV, but I'm not promoting sending CPS after anyone on that basis.

I'd hazard a guess that there are plenty of folks who are disgusted by extended breastfeeding who think nothing of feeding their kids highly processed food and letting them watch Disney 'til the (lactating) cows come home.

To those who say anything beyond a few months is unseemly, I'd say "get a grip!". I nursed both my daughters past their second birthdays, and they tended to be healthier than their non-breastfed compatriots. They are intelligent, independent children who are active and outgoing. It was more than just breastfeeding that got them there, but it was a good part of what helped them along.

We ARE mammals, one characteristic of which is that we make milk for our young. How can you logically argue that there is any problem with making use of that capability?

alemarch at 4:04PM on May 23rd 2008

35. Thinksmart - you said "I just read about a study in England where they found that something like 85% of child molesters were breast fed longer than 6 months."

I would love a link to that study if you still have it, or an idea of where I might find it?

Catherine at 6:41PM on May 23rd 2008

36. Just to play devil's advocate: so it's unnatural for a child to breastfeed from his/her own mother beyond, say, age 2, but it's OK to then switch to milk that comes from the breasts of a cow? Isn't ALL milk consumption essentially a form of breastfeeding? "Well...no, because the child isn't actually nursing from the cow." So then are we so concerned about the _source_ of the milk, or are we just squeamish about the physical act because many cultures (not all) have sexualized the female breast? (I drink cow's milk myself--I'm just sayin'....)

Now for a genuinely ignorant question: anyone know how the cow came to be the preeminent milker of choice? Economics/logistics/practicality? Nutritional superiority? Sure, there are also sheep and goat milk with their respective cheeses, but you have to seek them out. And is yak's milk really pink?

qwert

qwerty at 9:40PM on May 23rd 2008

37. i think its fantastic that she still does that. shows she loves her kids unlike some mothers who beat the hell out of them as infants

mo at 9:47PM on May 23rd 2008

38. If that were natural, wouldn't all women have available breastmilk years after giving birth?

Besides, what kind of screwed up kids would result? Already when kids start going to school they want a little privacy when dressing. Don't parents get into trouble for exposing their provate parts (breasts) to children. We all need a little modesty. If that breast-feeding at age 8 happened to me, I would have been ashamed,embarrassed and felt like a freak because at that age I would have realized that it was highly unorthadox and frowned upon.

sue at 11:39PM on May 23rd 2008

39. The world health organization recommends nursing until age two yrs just for an fyi to some...I'm pro breastfeeding but yeah 8 yrs old is too long and the only way I could even think of justifying it would be a mother in a 3rd world country who's child might go hungry otherwise.

jess at 5:45AM on May 24th 2008

40. "Why give a manufactured substance full of chemicals and preservatives to a helpless infant when god has given them the perfect food in their mother?"

The operative word being "infant". Would this mother also be OK with her kids wearing diapers until age 8 just because they "weren't ready" to be potty trained? What a load of hippy-dippy BS.

Lucy at 6:43AM on May 24th 2008

41. Actually, as long as there isn't a law against this, it's NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS! Comment all you want- it's a public forum, but as long as the milk is being produced, the children are being nourished. Everyone's family is different and these children are loved, not abused. I'm sure the children don't expect their mother to travel to their school for lunch hour. Do you really think the boy will grow up expecting all teenage girls to let him unbutton their blouses upon request for sexual pleasure? I was allowed to hug and kiss my mother anytime I wanted, but was also taught respect for the rights of non-family members. Affection doesn't always translate into a sex act.

Ike at 8:07AM on May 24th 2008

42. Humans are the only mammals that permit their young to nurse as long for as long as they wish. Consider dogs, cats, horses, cows and other mammals who first prompt, then use forceful actions, and often agressive behaviors to end suckling when the mother knows it is time for her little one to cease nursing. That usually is when the little one has milk teeth and has the fully ability to eat food on their own. I grew up in a rural/farm area and have witnessed nursing mammals of many types. Those mothers do not permit their young to continue nursing well past a predictable age when nursing is not needed for their health. I have seen mares move away from a foal who she feels doesn't not need to nurse. When the foal persists she bites them gently at first and if that fails she bites it harder and chases it away. Same with cows and calves. Mother dogs can get downright testy chasing off a pup she feels no longer needs to nurse. Same with cats. All of these cease nursing events took place once the milk teeth had come in and the young had the ability to eat on it's own. The production of milk takes a lot of energy and nutrients from the mother who is still needed to safe guard her young and now must eat for herself to re-gain her strength. In addition the new food source the infant eats, something other than mother's milk, is impairative for proper growth so the young can progress strongly into adulthood, as the new food has much needed vitamins and minerals not in mothers milk. It's a pity this mother nursing an 8 year old has less parenting instincts than the other mammals who actually know the correct length of time to nurse their young. In the wild she and her young one probably would get killed and eaten by another mother who was out hunting for real food to feed her no longer nursing young ones who only have milk teeth to enjoy the feast.

Jordan at 9:20AM on May 25th 2008

43. Why is this topic still on? Anything else happen this week?

IRONBLUEEYES at 10:47AM on May 24th 2008

44. I wonder why this woman really feels the need to keep doing this. This is obviously more about her than it is about her kids.

I also wonder what kind of effect this will have on these girls into their teens years and into adulthood.

Amanda at 12:43PM on May 24th 2008

45. This woman obviously has forgotten how to set limits for her children. If you watch the video, you'll see that these girls are now obsessed with their mother's breasts, drawing pictures about them and naming them. Breastfeeding infants and very young children is not creepy, however, with girls this age, yes, it is creepy.

The mom obviously encourages this, and is amused at their obsessive interest. If it were all about the benefits of breastmilk, she would pump.

As to the arguments on this board that this is what we are bred to do, you couldn't be more wrong. They obviously don't live in a remote village in Africa where this would be a necessity. We have the responsibility to set limits for our children. I'll bet the parents who wrote on the this board that there was nothing wrong with this, also let their children suck pacifiers until they were eight? At this point, this 7 year old is breastfeeding mainly for comfort, and sometimes you have to push them out of the nest and out of their comfort zone.

Lastly, if anyone thinks that this is no way sexual, 7 year olds are becoming more aware of sexual things at this age, and they know more than you think they do. Young girls do experiment with their bodies to duplicate that "feeling". These poor children are going to have some issues when they are older.

KP at 12:41PM on May 24th 2008