mommy, i want a boob

One of my good friends just got a bad case of mastitis. I cringed as I wrote that because I'm told it's uber painful. But I can't really feel all that badly for her. You see, my friend is still breastfeeding her child, who is now... wait for it... 18 months old.

Now, I know somebody inevitably will read this and say something like "well, my mom breastfed me until I was FOUR and I turned out OK," but, you know, that's just not normal in my world. Once your kid starts eating solid foods, the breastfeeding should slowly come to an end. Most North American doctors will tell you that all nutritional value to the child is lost after 9 months, and that after that point, breastfeeding is just a crutch for the mother to feel closer to her child. A creepy crutch, I might add.

My rule of thumb? If your kid can ask for milk in some semblance of a sentence, it's time to stop.

RainyBow

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SunnyShine note: I'll raise you a nearly 3-year old. The sister of a friend of mine is still breastfeeding her child who turns 3 in May. He walks. He talks. He is learning to read. Make the madness stop.

i'm one year old and i would like the following presents...

A good friend of mine has a child who is on the cusp of turning one year old. Since my friend was part of an inevitable pre-birthing group (whatever one calls those things, please excuse my ignorance), she knows lots of other moms with a kid turning one. So the birthday parties begin....

My friend and her husband, as reasonable people, have assessed that their kid has an excessive amount of toys (growing weekly because of overindulgent grandparents), and that their kid appreciates boxes and keys more than most of her toys. So they have decided to have a small party with family and a couple of friends to celebrate the milestone. There will be cake and a few small gifts.

However, some of her mommy friends have gone a different route: registering for their kid's birthday.

Now, I've seen one of these registries, and we're not talking "I'd like this $10 book for my kid." We're talking full-on-gifts with a price tag of $50 and up. For real?! The kid is one and will have no idea what this party is even for.

Can you imagine what the party at 8 and 10 years will be like? I'm already cringing at the upcoming stories.

RainyBow