^^Extraordinary breastfeeding - tonight on C4 ^^

[harpsichordcarrier]

new thread for RTKM

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh thanks harpsichordcarrier

Have put a link to this one on the old one

Was it all at the beginning of R&J? Take it I hav missed the discussion? Oh well, will just watch the programme tonight

Yes it was on about 5.05

R & J is repeated tomorrow on MORE 4 @ 12.30pm

This is what I said on the old thread :

Just saw R & J - I thought the questions were stupid (god I hate that man he is such a t**) but had to be asked as they reflected the prejudices of the MASSIF that they interviewed on the streets of Birmingahm.

I thought the 2 women both came across quite well though. Didn't look or sound like lunatics to me.

I thought the husband of the Spanish women a bit weird though, not because he seemed uncomfortable with her breastfeeding their 4 years old but because he had loads of dandruff on his jacket (yuk !)

whoops, agreed with you on the old thread nanneh.

When is tonight's program on - what time?

9pm - Channel 4

well I disagree nanneh (what a surprise eh? )

Thought R & J were fair - not in the least bit judgmental.

Thought the Spanish woman's hubby seemed like a nice bloke who was slightly uncomfortable with the situation and there's absolutely nothing wrong with him feeling like that, unless you want us like ticky tacky in little boxes all the same? You're not very flexible in your thinking on this one are you?

This is what I said on t'other thread

"well can't say it looked awful but I still don't think it's necessary at that age - but that's just my personal view.

The Spanish lady was a bit defensive I thought - her husband certainly seems to have a bit of a problem with it although she denied this.

Both families home educated their children so no peer pressure at school comes to bear in their situation.

The woman feeding the 8 year old said 'children lose the ability to suck' (her daughter couldn't get any milk that morning and seem to have a bit of strop about it) I find that statement quite ridiculous - there are those strange fellows who like to dress as babies and find women who will suckle them"

that's what i find so bizarre about people who object to extended breastfeeding - they often equate it with some dirty sexual perversion [me in nappies wanting to suckle]. For the children and their mothers that kind of idea could not be further from their imaginations. Unfortunately it seems to be thriving in the rest of society, hence the huge pressure to conform.

not me in nappies! men in nappies!

JT - hello !

Actually I think the Spanish woman wasn't that defensive. I think she handled the questions well.

You are wrong about what the Spanish woman actually said. She said she was home educating now (her son is only 4 years old), but that she would like him to go to school later. She also said she would NOT be BF-ing him at 8 years old and that he was already at age 4 beginning to self-wean (which is quite normal for a 4 year old - average self-weaning age is between 2 - 4).

JT, you are also wrong in your analysis of my flexibility. In fact I believe every woman's funadmental human right to breastfeed as long as she and her child want it to go on. That sounds pretty sensible and flexible to me .

Where I am NOT flexible is in how I feed MY own children. But they are my children and I can be as much of a boob loon with them as I like !

ruty - thanks for the agreement

I saw a bit of the R&J show - what seems to be trotted out time and time again was "what would their schoolfriends say" why should they even KNOW about it. It's not done at school!!! Do you think kids discuss their intimate bedtime routines with their parent(s), talk about silly names they have for each other and all that kind of harmless stuff that goes on behind closed doors?

NO of course they don't - its like people come out with these trite remarks without even thinking about the issue. I repeat I b/fed ds1 till he was 5 and very ocassionaly up to age 6. It was always done at bedtime and no-one else knew about it. I think older than that is odd but not necessarily repulsive. It's funny but ds stopped when his milk teeth came in which neatly co-incides with Kathy Dettwylers work on 'A Natural Age of Weaning'.

I am not a weirdo and neither is ds, he went to school every single day as normal. dd also goes to playgroup and is completely totally normal. I just can't understand why anyone gets so shocked about this, particularly in this day and age.

Looking forward to the prog and really hoping it won't be sensationalist.

To be fair though, Eulalia, you weren't appearing on national televison feeding him, so maybe that's what they were referring to?

ruty - I am not equating it to some sexual perversion dirty or otherwise - I was saying it was ridiculous to say that we lose the ability to suck - as illustrated by those men who like that sort of thing.

Maybe you see it as a dirty sexual perversion _ I don't, they aren't hurting anyone and women are prepared to service their wants who am I to condemn them? Maybe they breastfed to 4/5 years old and they miss it - not impossible surely?

But I digress - you'll see that I posted that I didn't find objectionable to see at all - I just think its unnecessary.

Eulalia - first of all RESPECT for breastfeeding your kids as long as you both wished.

I am glad the other woman with the 2 daughters (one was 8) actually pointed out that 7 or 8 was only weird because we live in England. She mentioned Africa and Latin America where BF to that age is quite normal.

Both women sounded pretty bright and clued up to me, so am pleased that they were picked for the programme.

Peversions usually come from a LACK of something in childhood, ie love, cuddles, suckling etc. Kids do like to suck long past the age we think they should do hence why so many of them get attached to dummies.

I've heard the "what would their friends say" before and silly jokes about coming in a break time to feed your child.

Must tear myself away from this .....

jooltoo sorry not a personal observation of you just one generally in society.

Thanks nanneh

Oh my god it has taken me 3 night, thats right three nights to read that other thread.
Am going to put the chap to bed then watch the dam programme, if I come back and there's another 700 posts am going to cry

Ok ruty

But if their mums are going on national TV and they went to regular school they would be teased wouldn't they ????

Sorry - just posted on old thread! I think R&J did a good job and it was interesting to see the vox pops with most people saying up to 2 years is fine. But the two women on the couch were a bit alternative. Such a shame re the bigger picture - too easy to dismiss. But I guess you need to be a bit alternative to push the boundaries of the envelope on this one. But please tell me this - what psychological need is being met when an 8 year old BFs?