Okay, first of all, I'm asking for input on a story that I heard third hand. I'm really trying to get some perspective on this "situation", not start a huge debate or anything.
A friend was over the other night, and we were talking about CLW (yes, I know I already have a thread about talking CLW with this friend, but this is a whole different can of worms). When she asked if I felt that it was okay to nurse however long my child wanted to, even if they were "really old", I said yes, but only because I thought she was referring to a five or six year old, since I had already told her that the natural age for weaning was between four and seven. She proceeded to tell me that she has a client (my friend does hair) who is an attorney. According to the attorney, she is currently representing a mother who is in a legal battle becuase she is still breastfeeding her teenager (15 or 16, I can't remember now). I was taken aback, because even in my time as a lactivist, I've never heard of anything like that.
I was trying to think of reasons why it could still be happening; are there major developmental issues, some kind of disability, etc.? Even with any of those, I don't know that I, myself, could justify nursing a teenager, but I was just trying to look at it with an unbiased perspective. No she said, nothing like that, but there are some major emotional and attachment issues.
That's about as far as it got, since my friend was only relaying what her client told her. Really though, I can't stop thinking about it, and trying to reason it out in my head. So, my question is, have there been other cases like this? Is this something that goes on, it's just tabboo to talk about?
Again, I didn't start this thread to say "OMG, guess what I heard!", I just want to get some perspective on the situation. Honestly, it sounds a little fishy to me, but I thought I'd come here to ask all you experts what you think!
A friend was over the other night, and we were talking about CLW (yes, I know I already have a thread about talking CLW with this friend, but this is a whole different can of worms). When she asked if I felt that it was okay to nurse however long my child wanted to, even if they were "really old", I said yes, but only because I thought she was referring to a five or six year old, since I had already told her that the natural age for weaning was between four and seven. She proceeded to tell me that she has a client (my friend does hair) who is an attorney. According to the attorney, she is currently representing a mother who is in a legal battle becuase she is still breastfeeding her teenager (15 or 16, I can't remember now). I was taken aback, because even in my time as a lactivist, I've never heard of anything like that.
I was trying to think of reasons why it could still be happening; are there major developmental issues, some kind of disability, etc.? Even with any of those, I don't know that I, myself, could justify nursing a teenager, but I was just trying to look at it with an unbiased perspective. No she said, nothing like that, but there are some major emotional and attachment issues.
That's about as far as it got, since my friend was only relaying what her client told her. Really though, I can't stop thinking about it, and trying to reason it out in my head. So, my question is, have there been other cases like this? Is this something that goes on, it's just tabboo to talk about?
Again, I didn't start this thread to say "OMG, guess what I heard!", I just want to get some perspective on the situation. Honestly, it sounds a little fishy to me, but I thought I'd come here to ask all you experts what you think!
:
: It's one of the reasons I'm a little skeptical of the validity of the story. I don't think that my friend is making it up, but her client could be grossly exaggerating something, or just trying to make her life as a lawyer seem more interesting.
Only because I've heard that same exact story by people before in an attempt to sway me to the "extended breastfeeding is gross and wrong" side by throwing out these exaggerated concocted stories.
)
