Someone I know on Facebook has brought to my attention the recent cover of TIME magazine, which shows a young mother breastfeeding her son, who is age three (he will turn four next month). The article wasn't really about breastfeeding so much as it was about attachment parenting. Late weaning is just practice of attachment parenting, and the article mentioned that the mom had actually nursed until she was six I think.
Anyway... The comments that resulted on my friend's Facebook wall were pretty disturbing considering that it's 2012 and the lack of breastfeeding causes death, illness, and other long term health effects not just in this country, but worldwide.
Breastfeeding, in fact has been the target of Facebook itself, as well as a number of municipalities and legislatures who have determined breastfeeding to be gross, weird, profane, or even obscene. It is a fact that children can breastfeed until any age, and there is no evidence that it is harmful psychologically or developmentally.
I think the moral to this story for me, is that being judgmental about breastfeeding doesn't do anyone any good. Until you consider that perhaps someone was educated in the process, and then began to see things differently. In any case, mothers should not be stigmatized for breastfeeding while their children are growing. Breastfeeding is natural, healthy, and good for both moms and kids. Period.
I'm glad that my city supports breastfeeding. Here is a link Madison's Community Breastfeeding Award recipients: http://www.cityofmadison.com/news/view.cfm?news_id=3207
Link for more info about breastfeeding: http://www.llli.org/
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